Under The Stars
by DelicateSoul
Summary: AU: Dimitri meets a drunk Rose in a bar. Having no identification on her, he takes her with him back to Russia. As they live together, can their broken lives fix each other's heart? RosexDimitri
1. Drunken Stranger

_Under The Stars_

**By: DelicateSoul**

**A/N: Yes, this is another Alternate Universe story! :D**

**I hope you all enjoy this as much as **_**Love Forgotten**_**, my other fanfic! I just wanted to get away from the Moroi world and such for once. Let's see how this one goes! Enjoy!**

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_Prologue: Drunken Beauty_

I just sat there at the corner of the bar, sloshing my whiskey around in my glass cup. I wasn't drunk yet. No, I'm sure I wasn't. How many drinks have I had? Ten? Twenty? I lost track already. My mind reeled back to my last moment with Tasha Ozera.

"_Dimka, I really love you, but I just can't see your commitment towards me," Tasha complained two hours earlier. She was there with her purse and her lovely blue dress, her hands on her hips. _

_I raised an eyebrow at her. "Commitment?" I repeated, "Have I mistreated you in some way?"_

_She shook her head and sighed in exasperation. "Whenever we go out on a date, _I'm_ the one who has to plan everything! _I'm _the one who has to ask you out! _I'm _always the one who takes the initiative! The only thing you've ever done was follow everything I did or said. At this rate, I can't see this relationship going any further," she ranted, her pale face slightly turning red. _

_I ran a hand through my hair; this wasn't the first time she complained to me. "So what do you want?" I asked. Even if I had been dating Tasha Ozera, the most desired woman in Siberia, I always felt that some part of me was still missing. And she couldn't fill that empty hole, whatever it was. _

_She laughed a humorless laugh. "What do I want? So it's what _I _want again, isn't it?" she said bitterly, "I'm giving up on us. I can't go on like this, being with a man passive enough to be a robot. I'm through. And don't even bother to come looking for me." And with that she stomped out of the bar. The bartender just looked at me and shook his head, as if saying 'and there goes another one.' _

I leaned back in my chair and sighed. I didn't have the slightest urge to chase her. Though we've been together for nearly two years, I've never put her first in my life. My family came first, and I guess she never realized that. I paid the bartender and turned in my chair to leave when a glass cup flew by my face, missing it by a mere millimeter. It crashed into the wall. I turned around to see who'd thrown it, and there was a lady drinking another glass of what looked to be hard liquor.

She slammed it down on the counter and pointed aimlessly at an invisible person in front of her. "Listen here, Mr. Adrian Fancy-Womanizer Ivashkov," she said, her voice making it evident that she was drunk to the max, "How dare you choose that whore, Rinaldi, over me? Huh? What? I was more interested in picking fights than getting into bed with _you_? Well, news flash! You can just go screw yourself over! Have a nice life! Asshole!"

I couldn't stop the smile from coming onto my face; she and I had similar problems.

She fell off her chair, and I barely caught her before her hip hit the floor. I tried shaking her slightly, but from the way she looked she was out for the night. Sighing I paid the bartender for her drinks, too, which came out to be double the price of my own bill.

"Go on, lad, take her with you. I've had enough relationship issues for the night from her," the bartender groaned. I complied with his request and carried her out of the bar, taking her into a taxi with me.

"Where to?" the taxi driver asked.

"Hold on. Let me check her address," I said and he answered with a grunt. I opened her cell phone and checked her contact list, but everything had been erased. All of her text messages had been deleted. Looking through her tiny bag, there was nothing about her address or relatives. I only found a passport and her wallet, which was pretty much empty. I looked at her passport, and from her date of birth she was no more than seventeen years old.

I took out two plane tickets from my bag and looked at the one with Tasha's name on it; we were supposed to go back to Siberia together, but I guess she found a place to live here in America.

Turning to look at the teenager sleeping against the window, I saw that most of her hair was brushed back behind her shoulder, revealing her beautiful, tear-streaked face. I turned to the taxi driver who looked bored out of his wits and sighed.

"Take us to the airport, please," I said, looking at the drunken beauty next to me, hoping that she'd regain consciousness soon. Otherwise, I'd be taking a stranger back to Russia with me.

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**Loved it? Liked it? Hated it? R&R!**

**I know it's kind of lame, but, hey, it's ****prologue****! :D**

**I'll update soon on this!**

**-Delicate**


	2. New Company

**Great, two fanfics to work on! Whoo hoo!! :D**

**Enjoy!**

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_New Company_

Even when she was knocked out unconscious, the girl was still mumbling curses. I sighed, wondering how I ever got into this mess. Was mother going to be mad at me for bringing home a girl whom I don't even know the name of?

We'd stopped at a red light when her eyes groggily opened. "Cell phone," she groaned and I placed it in her hand. She looked at the open window and threw it outside, falling back asleep, and said, "Good riddance." I could only stare at her in shock. Has she completely lost it?

"Hey, you two can get off now. We're here," the taxi driver growled a few minutes later. I helped the girl walk on her two feet to our gate. The plane was going to leave in a few minutes. I handed the flight attendant our tickets and she let us board the plane, staring awkwardly at my drunken companion.

"She's had too much to drink at the bar," I explained hastily, receiving a nod from her. Finally getting to our seat, I placed her next to the window and put a blanket over her. Plopping down into the seat next to her, I sighed. Lucky for everyone on the plane, she didn't wake up until we had reached Siberia.

After persuading the security guard that I did not kidnap the girl, we got onto a bus and headed for home. I hoped my two sisters kept our mother safe. Who knows what could have happened during my absence?

Opening the door, I called out, "I'm back!" My mother came out from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron with a big smile. She froze when she saw the girl on my back.

"Dimitri, who is she?" she asked curiously, but not furiously. I mentally sighed a breath of relief.

I shrugged. "I don't know. I met her at a bar, and she didn't have any identification on her. So I brought her here," I said tersely and she gave me an appraising look.

"Ah, that's just like you, Dimitri. Well, put your American friend in your room and come down for some lunch. We'll talk with her after she wakes up," she said with a laugh and went back in the kitchen. I was fortunate that she was pretty light, otherwise it would have been impossible to take her up the stairs along with my baggage. After putting her in my bed, I went downstairs to eat with my mom.

We ate in silence, my mom asking me questions time to time. "What happened to Tasha?" she asked innocently. Surprisingly, I felt no heartache nor remorse.

"We broke up," I said simply, taking a sip of water. She just frowned at me, but she didn't look upset. "I didn't feel so bad when it was over. Trust me, mother," I said with a reassuring smile. She smiled back.

"Well, a lot of people just thought that you two looked like you were meant for each other," she said with a weak smile, "And Natalya kept boasting about how Tasha was going to be her sister-in-law, too." I just rolled my eyes; Natalya was really fond of Tasha.

"That is complete blasphemy," I said bitterly, wanting to throw something. That was when we heard the beginning of everything.

"Where the hell am I!!?" the girl shouted from my room. My mother just stared at me before breaking out into fits of laughter as she motioned for me to go upstairs to check up on our unexpected visitor. I opened my door slowly and poked my head inside, seeing the girl sitting up in bed with her head in her hands.

"Do you need anything?" I asked and she shook her head, probably trying to assess everything from last night's occurrence.

"Tea," she moaned, probably from having a hangover. I sighed as I went down the stairs. She shouldn't have even been drinking in the first place. She was only seventeen for goodness sakes. My mom was already there with the tea cup in her hands, giving it to me and pushing me eagerly up the stairs. I rolled my eyes at her before going back.

"Here," I said, putting the cup in her hands. She drank it willingly, and when done, she sighed and turned to look at me. No, to _glare_ at me.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"Dimitri Belikov. I don't know who you are, either," I said, sitting down on my chair.

Her mouth formed a thin line. "I'm Rose Hathaway," she replied, getting up from the bed. She walked around, looking for her purse no doubt. Her long, brown hair swayed this way and that. I wondered how she'd look if she wore it up. I mentally slapped myself. This was not the time to daydream.

"Looking for something?" I asked, picking up a book from the floor.

She huffed and placed a hand on her hip. "Where's my cell phone?" she asked, looking under the bed.

I shrugged. "You threw it away," I explained, "out of the taxi cab window when you were drunk."

She froze for a few seconds. "Wait. Taxi cab?" she asked, receiving a nod from me, "What the hell was I doing in a taxi?"

I turned the page to chapter one. "You had no information on yourself, and I couldn't just leave you on the street. So I brought you back with me," I said, flipping over to the next page.

"Back where?" she asked. It felt like a police crime interrogation.

"Siberia," I said with a shrug, turning the page.

"Oh, Siberi-" she began, but then something seemed to have crossed her mind. "Siberia!? I'm in freaking Russia!?"

I nodded. She at least knew her geography. I don't know what else she could know, with her being an underage drinker.

"I need to get back home. Where's my wallet?" she asked and finally found that little black pouch of hers. Opening it, her face fell. I raised an eyebrow out of curiosity. Had she lost something again?

"Hey, Darian," she began.

"Dimitri," I corrected.

She just waved her hand in front of her. "Right, Dimitri. Could I borrow some money?" she asked, plopping herself down on the bed in dejection.

"Just how much?" I asked cautiously, knowing that I wouldn't like the amount she would be asking for.

She bit her lip. "As much as it'll take for me to buy a plane ticket and go back home," she said. I nearly dropped the book from my hand. That was around three thousand American dollars! We didn't have that much.

I shook my head. "I can't. I'm sorry, but we don't have that sort of money," I said apologetically. She rolled her eyes and stared up at the white ceiling.

"Where am I supposed to go now?" she mumbled and sighed.

"You can stay here, if you'd like," my mom said, poking her head through the door with a smile. I heaved a sigh. She just loved having visitors, females in particular.

"Mom, I'm sure she wouldn't-" I began.

"Could I really?" Rose asked, her eyes widening in shock. I pinched my nose bridge and closed my eyes.

"I don't see why not. You and Dimitri can share a room, of course," she said excitedly and turned to leave, "Oh, and Rose, I do hope you like Russian food." Rose just shrugged and smiled warmly at her. With that, my mom left, a sudden wave of silence floating about the vicinity.

"She's really nice," Rose said, sounding really astounded. I smirked.

"She's the nicest woman you'll ever meet in your entire lifetime," I said, continuing to read.

She just looked at me incredulously. "Dimitri, how old are you?" she asked skeptically.

I returned the look. "Twenty-four, Miss Seventeen-Year-Old," I said with another smirk as I flipped the page. She huffed and crossed her arms, mumbling something about how I acted like a toddler.

"We're home, Mom!" two female voices sounded from the living room. Natalya and Alina must have come home from school.

As they ran up the stairs to my room, I said, "Rose, I hope you're ready." She didn't understand what I meant until the door flew open and two girls with dark brown hair and matching eyes stood their in matching school uniforms. Their eyes brightened and jumped on me.

"Dimka! Welcome home!" they cried in unison. I laughed and patted each of them on the head. Natalya, the older one, turned her head to see Rose, who looked like she felt out of place.

"Who are you? What is your business here?" Natalya spat, crossing her arms.

I glared at her. "Natalya, be nice," I warned.

She just growled and clenched her fist before turning on me. "And what about you? Where is Tasha? Why is this American junk here?" she demanded. A dark aura surrounded Rose at that moment. She stood up and grabbed Natalya by the collar.

"What did you just call me, you little pipsqueak?" Rose asked, shaking her slightly. For once, Natalya didn't say anything and kept her mouth shut. She released her hold on her and sat back down, exhaling heavily.

Alina and I looked at each other and started laughing. "By the way, Natalya, Tasha and I broke up," I said with a smile. She looked as if she'd been punched in the guts. Instead of shouting at me, she went back to her room, slamming the door a little too hard.

Rose turned to look at me. "Is it always like this?" she asked. I could tell she wasn't even bothered by it in the slightest. I gave her a nod, and Alina went to her own room, flashing Rose a small, welcoming smile.

"So," Rose stammered, shocked at the friendly gesture, "Is there any place in the city that'd be willing to hire an American girl?"

I raised an eyebrow. "You're going to work? For what?" I asked, incredulously.

"Well, I need to get back home soon," she said, as if stating the obvious, "And I can't do that unless I have some money on me." I could tell she wasn't the lazy one, which I was glad for. She was also the complete opposite of Tasha, I'll admit that. No one has ever dared to lay a hand on Natalya because they all knew of her wild temper.

I crossed my arms, leaning back against the chair. "Well, I work at a bakery in the city. You can work there, if you'd like," I suggested.

She looked doubtful. "What're the other choices?" she asked.

I thought for a minute, coming up with choices that are suitable for her. If she was a waitress, I'm sure she has a good chance of dropping the dishes since they're pretty heavy. I didn't think she'd make a good librarian with her loud voice.

"Well," I said uneasily, "There's always prostitution, which I'm sure you're dead set against."

She glared at me again, obviously thinking I was making fun of her. "Screw that. I'm going to the bakery," she said through clenched teeth.

I shrugged. "Fine by me. At least I'll have company now," I said with a smile. That seemed to ease her composure as she sat down on the floor from the bed. I wonder what will happen tomorrow. Well, it doesn't matter. I still had some time to get to know this strange girl.

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**Liked it? Hated it? R&R!**

**Yes, it's boring. Well, aren't all introductions boring? Anyways, I think I'll be having fun writing the next chapter to this. :D**

**-Delicate**


	3. Comrade

**I can't say much for myself anymore. All I can say is that I **_**will**_** get busy since the AP exams are in less than two months. So you can probably expect me to update every two weeks or so.**

**Anyways, enjoy!**

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_Comrade_

The alarm clock incessantly rang for a few seconds before my hand slammed down on it. Sighing, I sat up in my sleeping bag from the floor and stretched my arms out when I turned my head and saw Rose curled up into a ball in my bed, her hair spread out all over the bed. I stood up and unconsciously reached out to stroke her hair. It was soft and the strands weaved between my fingers. She stirred in her sleep and I instantly drew my hand back and went to grab a towel.

"Wake up, it's time to go to work," I said and went to the bathroom first; I knew that women loved to take their time grooming themselves in front of the mirror, so I try to use it first, since I only take less than a minute to finish.

I began brushing my teeth when she spoke. "What time is it? The sun's not even up," she groaned with a yawn, getting up. She turned her head to look at the alarm clock and the time shook her. "What the hell!? It's not even five in the morning yet!" she complained, tossing her legs out of the covers and onto the floor.

After I finished my morning routine and came out, I smiled and said, "You said you wanted to work. There's the American saying: 'No pain, no gain.' Besides, you said so yourself that you were going to earn your own money." I knew I'd outsmarted her because she just grumbled to herself before slamming the bathroom door closed.

But she didn't go down without a fight. "Then there should be a Russian saying about people getting plenty of sleep!" she called out, and I chuckled despite myself. To my surprise, she emerged from the bathroom in two minutes. If she had been Natalya or Alina, I would have had to wait for her the entire day.

She looked around. "What do I wear?" she asked and I realized that she had nothing to wear but the current clothes that she had on: jeans and a tank top. Even though they looked pretty on her, she'd get them dirty by the time we closed. I walked over to my closet and tossed her a white t-shirt and a sweatshirt with Cyrillic writing on it. I went outside and got the bike ready just as she came out of the house in my clothes. She looked pretty good in them.

Her eyes were filled with skepticism when she saw my bike. "On that?" she asked, walking towards me. I nodded and she sighed, shaking her head. She hopped on the back and grabbed the back of my jacket tightly.

I turned my head slightly. "Ready?" I asked and she nodded. With that I pedaled off towards the city. During the ride, she didn't scream, not even once. On the other hand, Tasha always had been screaming her lungs off whenever we went downhill.

"Hey, are we there yet?" she asked after a few minutes had passed.

I smiled. "Why? Getting sick?" If she was, we'd have to stop by the pharmacy and buy one of those herbal drinks that catalyzes the puking process. I was pretty sure that her American mouth would throw out more of those swear words if she took one sip.

"No. I've just never seen Siberia before. It's not like what I'd imagined it to be," she said, sighing happily. I have to say that this place barely has any signs of air pollution.

Curious, I asked, "And just how did you imagine it?"

I could almost hear her rolling her eyes. "An arctic wasteland, thank you very much," she said and I grimaced. What sort of things did those American schools teach their students about Siberia?

"Well, it does get cold, but that's about it," I said, coming to a full stop in front of the bakery, "Now let's get to work." She slid off the back seat and looked at the sign in front of her, turning her head this way and that.

"What does it say?" she asked as I opened the door with my key.

"Belikov's Bakery," I replied with a slight shrug as we went in and she started laughing. I could only raise a brow at her. "And just what is so funny?"

"I knew it," she said with a smirk, "And I didn't need to read the funny symbols. Seriously, Dimitri, that's just unoriginal."

I smiled. "Well, as far as I know, I have no say in what my family names our business. This bakery's been in the family for three generations," I explained, leading her to the back of the shop to where the ingredients were.

"If you could rename this place, what would you call it?" she asked.

That left me thinking for a few seconds. I've never actually considered it. I mean, I didn't think that naming a simple bakery was such a critical issue. So I shrugged and said, "I don't know. If something comes to mind, I'll let you know. Then you can see if it's original or not." She grinned, which quickly faded as I handed her a white apron with a white bandana.

"Don't tell me," she groaned, taking it from me and putting it on.

I had to stifled a laugh; she looked ridiculous. "That's what you have to wear when you're working, otherwise you would get your – my – clothes dirty," I explained, clearing my throat. She raised an eyebrow at me.

"And just what am I going to be doing?" she asked, slightly hesitant.

"You're going to bake the bread," I said lightheartedly, but I could see the color drain from her face, "Don't worry; I'll teach you." She followed me to the wooden counter and I instructed her on how to make the dough from scratch and shape it. She followed everything I was saying. Or, at least I hoped she was. Amazingly, she managed to get the hang of it after the fifth try.

I looked at the clock on the wall: time to open up. "I'm going to go open the shop. I think you can manage everything pretty well back here," I said and she shrugged her shoulders, turning back to her pile of shapeless dough. I carried the tray of bread that we'd made in the morning and took it to the display window, opening the door as I finished.

"Rose, how is everything going back there?" I called out.

She groaned. "I'm fine," she said.

I chuckled a bit. "I meant the breads."

"Oh," she mumbled, "They're perfectly fine and in shape." I shook my head and laughed to myself.

The door swung open and a lady with gray hair, brown eyes, pale skin, and a few wrinkles came in, dressed in a long black skirt with a light green sweater and a cane to support herself.

I smiled and gave her a little bow. "Good morning, Mrs. Nikitin," I greeted and she laughed.

"Ah, good morning to yourself, too, Dimitri. My, what a nice smell of bread in the air," she said, glancing around the place as she usually does every morning. She came over and looked in the display window. She pointed at a bread and asked, "Could I see this one?"

I took it out and she examined it all over before breaking out into a smile. "This was made by a girl," she said, not asked. This woman knew everything.

I laughed. "How do you know that?" I asked, placing the bread in a box for her to take.

She just shrugged and looked at me with a twinkle in her eye. "There are just some things I know. Is Tasha back?" she said.

I shook my head with a smile. "She left me to live in America," I said with a shrug. Mrs. Nikitin gasped and suddenly looked sympathetic.

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that, Dimitri," she said, looking disappointed.

I shrugged. "Don't worry. I've already moved on," I said, and that seemed to ease her mood back to normal. Then she looked around the counter at the door.

"Then, who is here?" she asked curiously.

"An acquaintance. She's working to pay her way back to America," I said. She grinned and nodded at Rose's direction approvingly.

"Yes, every woman should depend on herself," she said wisely. I wholeheartedly agreed. If Rose took everything we had just to get back home, we'd be on the streets right now.

Mrs. Nikitin took her bag and paid the money. "Tell your mother I said hello. Oh, and next time, do introduce me to your American friend," she said with a smile and left without giving me time to answer her. I ran a hand through my hair and smiled.

"Who was she?" a voice said from behind me. I turned around, startled. Rose leaned against the doorframe, her apron covered in flour. It drained all the energy out of me just imagining the amount of mess she made back there.

"A frequent customer, Mrs. Nikitin. You two should get along," I said, going to the back room. Luckily, the floors were still spotless. But I have a sure feeling that they won't be for long.

"So," Rose began uncomfortably, "Your girlfriend left you, huh?"

"So what?" I asked, going back to the front counter and pulling out another book to read. "Besides," I stated, "I'm over it."

I turned to show her I was fine, but the way her eyes stared at me froze me in my spot. She was scrutinizing everything down to the very last feature. "No, you're not," she said, "You think you are, but it's still bugging you on the inside."

I flinched, making that her confirmation. This girl, what is she? "How would you know?" I asked, "Aren't you bothered by what happened between you and your own boyfriend?" I knew it was a mistake the moment I brought it up. I have never seen a more cold glare before in my life. Her brown eyes flared as they narrowed at me, as if I'd said something offensive, which I probably did.

"Forget I asked," she hissed and went to the back, slamming the door behind her a little too hard.

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When we closed the shop for the day, I biked back home. Rose still wasn't talking to me. I probably should apologize, but then again she had probed into my personal life herself. Right up until Mrs. Nikitin had mentioned Tasha, I realized that I'd completely forgotten about her. Her patience, her face, her hair, everything. She just evaporated from my mind. It was like she was never there.

Too bad it wasn't the same with Rose. Maybe when she goes back home, I'll be able to go back to my quiet lifestyle in solitude, the way it always was before Tasha came into my life.

"Rose," Alina called when we entered the house. She turned her head up to look at my littlest sister curiously. Alina motioned for her to come upstairs to her room, which she cautiously did. Natalya just said a brief greeting to us before locking herself up in her room again, throwing Rose a small glare.

My mother came out of the kitchen with a bowl and mixer. "Welcome back, Dimitri," she said with a bright smile, "How was it today? Was Rose a good help?" I knew she'd ask that sooner or later.

"Business was okay. Actually, Rose just learned how to make the black bread today," I said and she looked impressed.

"That's a difficult thing to bake, I'm sure. She has talent," she said with a slight chuckle, "Come on and help me set up for dinner." I followed her in the kitchen and set up the table. Mother was at the head, Alina and I were at the right, and Natalya and Rose were at the left. Surprisingly, Rose dug into her food without a second thought. Even Natalya couldn't help but raise a brow in her direction. Rose stopped eating and found all of us staring at her with our mouths opened.

She swallowed. "Did I do something wrong?" she asked uneasily.

The four of us looked at one another and started laughing. "Oh, no, Rose," my mother said, rubbing the tears with her apron, "It's just that we all thought you wouldn't be able to eat the things we eat. But you proved us wrong." Rose flushed a pale pink in embarrassment, mumbling a thank you.

"Rose, I hear you made the famous black bread today," my mother said, trying to stimulate a conversation. Alina looked delighted.

"Really, syestra?" she asked excitedly.

"After the fifth try, she did," I clarified with a small grin, slightly confused. When did Alina get so used to Rose to be calling her sister?

Natalya scoffed. "Well, Tasha made it in her first try. Americans," she said bitterly at the end, stabbing her food with her fork.

"Natalya!" my mother and I scolded. She flinched and bowed her head, glaring at Rose from the corner of her eye.

"It's okay. She's right," Rose said with a smile. I could only look at her incredulously. What had happened to the temper she had yesterday?

Rose landed on the bed on her back, exhaling a sigh of relief. "This was the longest day I've ever had. And it's only my first day here," she groaned, stretching out her arms. I smiled and placed my jacket back in my closet.

"You'd better get used to it since you're going to be here for a while," I pointed out, sitting myself down at my desk.

"Wonderful," she grumbled and sat up, fixing her hair that cascaded down her back.

"What did Alina want?" I asked.

She shrugged. "She wanted to call me 'syestra,' whatever that means. What does it mean?" she asked me.

"Sister," I translated. Rose grinned, then turned silent again. Something was wrong. "What is it?" I asked.

"Nothing," she said, turning away from me.

I didn't believe her. "Rose, since you're going to be here for a few weeks, we might as well be honest if we're ever to survive," I said. Her face showed that she knew I was right.

"It was the first time I've eaten dinner with other people," she mumbled.

I could only stare at her in shock. "You've always eaten by yourself?" I asked. That was so rare here in Siberia.

"Except with Adr-" she began but caught herself, "Forget it."

By the time we were ready for bed, I turned out the lights and crawled into my sleeping bag. A few minutes of silence passed between us.

"Hey, Dimitri," she said.

"Hmm?" I responded, setting the alarm clock.

"Can I call you 'comrade?'" she asked.

"I'd rather you not," I replied with a grimace. I could almost hear her grin.

"Okay. Good night, comrade," she said, and I knew it was just to annoy me. Despite myself, I couldn't help but smile. This girl was starting to get interesting.

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**Loved it? Liked it? Hated it? R&R!**

**Anyways, don't beg me to update sooner because I don't have all the time in the world right now. In June I will. So, I'd appreciate it if you'd be patient. :D**

**Expect a little twist here and there!**

**-Delicate**


	4. Fire

**Here it is! The _fourth_ chapter!**

**So yeah, here's a long chapter for you guys to partially make up for my absence. ;]**

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_Fire_

The morning caused Rose to wake up from her almost-peaceful slumber. Muttering to herself about cursing the sun, she swooped out of bed and staggered her way to the bathroom. I went downstairs, cooking breakfast for the two of us since my mother went out grocery shopping with my two sisters. But it was easy to tell that she wanted to leave the two of us alone; no one in her right mind would go shopping for groceries at five o'clock in the morning.

When I finished setting down the plates on the table, Rose showed up in the kitchen, her face as sour as ever.

"Did you begin opening up the bakery at six in the morning intentionally to make me suffer?" she grumbled, taking her seat.

I couldn't help but smile. "Not really. But if you wake up later, most of the day will already be gone and wasted. Carpe diem. Besides, you've been here for a week. I thought you'd be used to it by now," I said with a chuckle. She rolled her eyes and began digging through last night's leftovers.

"I'm going to beg your mom for this recipe. Better than any homemade food I've ever had," she said, placing her empty plate into the sink. I washed both plates with a smile and set them back in the cabinet.

"I'm sure she'll be more than happy to give it to you," I said, opening the door for her.

She grinned and walked out as I ran and unlocked the bike. I didn't hear a word of complaint as she sat on the back and grabbed my sweatshirt.

"Nothing to make you mad today?" I asked casually.

She laughed. "Not yet," she replied lightheartedly. Some of our neighbors were outside watering their gardens. Most of them waved at us and gave surprised glances as they saw Rose riding behind me. I just grinned at them in response; my mother would make up a story about her somehow.

"All right, Rose. You're making vatrushka today," I said, unlocking the store's door.

"Sounds like a type of vomit," she muttered quietly to herself. I shot her a dark look from the corner of my eye.

"I'll let you try it first to see if it is like vomit, then," I said with a sly grin. I saw her swallow hard and shot a haughty glare in my direction.

I took her to the back of the store and took out all the necessary ingredients. She was quick to memorize where everything was. Once we were able to bake an oval-shaped bread, I showed her how to scoop out the center and fill it with cream and custard. Rose scooped a bit too deep, and we didn't realize it until the table was flooded with custard. She froze over for a second and laughed nervously. Our eyes met, and we both bursted out laughing like idiots.

"Okay, okay," I said, regaining my composure, "Clean up this mess and fix your bread." I went to the door and put my apron on the rack.

"Hey, this is pretty good!" Rose exclaimed.

I turned around and saw her licking her fingers that were sticky with custard. I held back a snicker as I said, "Rose."

She looked at me and I pointed at the tip of my nose. Rolling her eyes, she wiped it off with her finger and licked it with a grin.

I shook my head with a smile and set up the register for the day's sales. Just to make sure, I pulled out a calculator to figure out how much money she's made so far during her stay. Remembering the working wages per hour, she'd already earned seven hundred dollars. At this rate, she'll be able to go home in about five weeks.

The door jingled open and seven teenage boys piled in, all of them dressed in leather with heavy metal chains. I rolled my eyes in exasperation; these boys didn't know when to stop.

"Hey, Belikov! Hand over your cash!" the leader demanded. I rolled my eyes.

Just then, Rose came out with a perfectly-made vatrushka in her hand. "Hey, where do I put this?" she asked and looked up, suddenly freezing in her tracks. The boys shifted their attention to her and most of them raised their eyebrows either in surprise or in lust.

"Nice. Sweet and pretty, just the way I like them," one of the boys said, approaching her.

Her eye began to twitch.

Uh oh, I thought.

Another one of the idiots came forth whipped the custard onto his finger and licked it. "Hm, sweet. I'd like to see how sweet you are, babe," he said, twisting his finger in her hair.

Then, her eyes lit up like fire in fury.

She slammed her vatrushka into the guy's face and shoved him back towards his group. Throwing her bandana and apron aside, she grabbed the metal tray from the table near her and smashed it into the next boy's face, making him stagger back and landing on his butt.

"Súka!" the leader shouted as the two nearest Rose grabbed her arms tightly.

As she struggled against them violently, she shouted, "Get off me, you sons of a bitch!"

I grabbed the metal pole from the corner and brought it down on both of their heads, sending them unconscious. Moving in front of her, I took a defensive stance. The remaining five of them inched slowly towards me, their fists raised.

"Rose, go into the back room and don't come out until I say so," I hissed at her. She gave me a skeptical look.

"You're joking," she whispered.

"Now!"

She jumped and practically dived through the door. Turning back to the gang, I grinned. They knew what the outcome was going to be. And definitely not in their favor.

* * *

As the door jingled closed, I placed the pole back in its corner and looked around the shop; it wasn't too messy, but there were a few things that were out of place.

"Okay, Rose! It's all clear!" I hollered, picking up the fallen baskets of wrapped bread.

The door opened and Rose came out, an amazed look on her face as she scanned the room. She turned to look at me and her hands fidgeted behind her back.

"Did you really kick their ass?" she asked casually.

I just shrugged, and she had her answer.

"Could you teach me?" she asked, looking me straight in the eye.

"Uh, what?" I asked blankly. I was hoping she was talking about the pastries.

She looked at me like I was a complete idiot. "Teach me how to fight like you just did!" she said, throwing her hands in the air.

I just grinned at her. "I'll think about it," I said and pointed to the back room.

She just groaned and kicked the door opened. When it closed, I noticed a slight crack forming at the bottom.

I might have to teach her a basic lesson on controlling her anger first. Shrugging, I started brushing the dust into the dust pan. I wasn't amazed that she was able to create such a perfect vatrushka in her second try; it was her aggressiveness that surprised me. I only thought she was like that when she was drunk. Completely different from Tasha.

The phone rang, interrupting my train of thoughts.

"Belikov's Bakery. How may I help you?" I answered.

"Ah, Dimitri! I ordered a few pastries to be picked up, remember?" a lady said.

I scrambled through various sheets of papers. "Yes you did, Mrs. Fedorov. What time will you be here?" I asked.

"I sent one of my abroad students to pick them up for us. I thought it'd be a perfect chance for him to venture out on his own," she explained.

I just nodded. "All right, then. We'll be ready for his appearance," I replied and hung up once I heard a click.

"Rose!" I called.

She dragged her feet out and did an exaggerated bow. "Yes, your royal bloodiness?" she asked.

I rolled my eyes before giving her a small grin. "Someone's coming here to pick up an order. From the pastries we have in the back, pack these items in one box," I said, handing her a list.

Her eyes skimmed over everything and she raised her eyebrows. "Wow, they must be trying really hard to become obese," she said while shaking her head and went in. I chuckled despite myself.

A few minutes later, the door jingled open and a red-head with freckles came in. He looked about Rose's age, or maybe even older. I couldn't tell from where I was.

He turned and saw me. "Hey, I'm here for Mrs. Fedorov's order," he said politely. Maybe this kid wasn't so bad as Rose.

"I got it! Jeez! You people consume a lot of sugar, you know. I don't even know how your stomach can handle it," she grumbled, kicking open the door a second time for the day. The boy laughed and looked amused. Rose came over and handed him a large white box and me the list. I rang him up, but the entire time I was punching in numbers, he was staring at Rose. She just looked bored.

"Stop staring. And wipe that drool off your face," she said, startling him.

"Sorry, I didn't-" he began, using his sleeves.

Instead she laughed. "I'm just joking," she said.

He smiled at her warmly. "I'm Mason, by the way. Mason Ashford. I'm an abroad student," he said, his face flushing bright pink.

She looked indifferent. "Rose," she replied simply.

He fidgeted with his fingers and looked down. "Hey, you're American, too. Have you seen the sights here in Russia?" he asked.

I raised a brow, assuming his intention to ask Rose out. It had nothing to do with me. I'm just a bit irritated that they'd have to do it in a bakery of all places. Couldn't he have taken her outside or someplace more opened?! It feels like the atmosphere is pressing down against my chest.

"Actually, no, I haven't," she said, shooting me a quick glance. I barely caught it.

His face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Then maybe we can go together, since we're both new to the country. I heard this place has a lot of interesting places to see," he said, getting more and more excited with each sentence spoken.

"Sounds nice. When should we go?" she asked, trying hard to stifle a yawn. I could tell she just wanted him to leave her alone.

"I'm free this Monday. Is that all right with you?" he asked. I leaned against my elbow with a dazed look at this ping pong conversation.

"Sure, sure. Monday. Got it," Rose said.

He grinned so wide I thought his lips would touch each ear. "Great. So I'll see you on Monday," he said and took the box.

"Hey, you forgot to pay," I said, completely bored out of my mind.

He laughed, embarrassed and took out a few bills. "She said to keep the change," he said.

I just shrugged and placed the money in the register.

"See you Monday. I'll pick you up here, then?" he asked. Why _here_ of all places in the city? What about the park? I'm sure a setting full of flowers is much more pleasant than one with flour and wheat everywhere.

She just nodded and he left with a smile. Once he was gone, she turned to look at me with an exhausted expression. "I made fifty vatrushka. Happy?" she said. I looked at her in disbelief and went to the back room. I froze in my spot; the entire baking counter was covered with perfectly-shaped vatrushka.

"How'd you make all this so fast?" I asked, no doubt impressed.

She thought for a moment. "I don't know. I guess I bake faster when I'm pissed off," she said, earning a laugh from me.

"I don't know if that's a good trait to have," I said only to get flour thrown in my face.

* * *

When I finished locking up the bakery, Rose was literally dead on her feet.

I got on the bike and steadied it for her to get on. "Ready?" I asked, once she grabbed my sweatshirt.

She just nodded and yawned. "Just hurry up and pedal till you're tired. I'm really sleepy," she grumbled.

I smiled. "Yes ma'am," I said sarcastically.

But it was true. The moment she stepped into the house, she collapsed straight onto the floor, immediately erupting worry and shouting from my family.

"Dimitri, what happened?"

"Dimka, is she okay?"

"Did you two get involved in a gang fight?"

The last question was from Natalya. My head whipped towards her.

"How did you know?" I asked.

She just shrugged. "I don't know. I was just guessing," she said and went upstairs.

I sighed and picked Rose up from the ground. "I don't think she'll be eating with us tonight," I told my mother. She just smiled and nodded, going back in the kitchen.

When we arrived at my room, I gently placed her on the bed and pulled the covers over her. Looking at her face, I had to admit that she looked more peaceful and calm when she's unconscious.

As I sat down in my chair and replayed the day's events in my head, a little fire had begun to grow inside me without my notice when the red-head popped into my head.

* * *

**Loved it? Liked it? Hated it? R&R!**

**Okay! Both stories updated in one week! This is amazing! :D**

**Ooooh, now the drama's getting started. Haha!**

**-Delicate**


	5. But, Why

**I started this chapter as soon as I was finished with **_**Love Forgotten**_**. :O**

**And after reading **_**Blood Promise**_**, I realize that Dimitri's sisters in the book have different names than the ones in this fanfic. I won't fix them here but in my next story! :D**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_But, Why_

Rose was searching everywhere in my room: under the bed, inside the closet, even in the bathroom. Apparently, it must have been something important, and she didn't want us to help her look for it.

Or so that's what I thought.

She scratched her head in frustration as she threw down the blankets and looked here and there.

I'll be honest; she was scaring the life out of me, but her persistence was amazing. Most girls would have given up and thrown a fit right after ten seconds at most. Then again, Rose wasn't like most girls.

"Looking for something important?" I asked, breaking the heavy tension in the air.

She turned her head to look at me, realizing that I had been sitting in my chair the entire time. "Oh, yeah, sort of," she answered and continued her endless search.

I put my book down, losing interest in it. This was way more amusing. "Well, what is it?" I asked.

"Ah, the clothes I wore when you found me," she said while searching.

"Oh, my mother took those for dry cleaning a few days ago once she found them in the corner of my room," I said.

She sighed loudly and dropped down on the bed.

I repressed a smile. My mother and Alina gave me part of their money, and both of them told me to go take Rose out shopping.

Going to the closet, I tossed her a pair of my jeans, a t-shirt, and another sweatshirt with Cyrillic writing. She looked at the clothes for a moment before meeting my eyes with a confused expression.

"Get dressed in five minutes. We're going out," I said, grabbing my jacket from my chair.

"Out where?" she asked.

"To get you some new clothes," I said, and her shocked expression made my smile come out involuntarily.

* * *

"Thank you! Come again!" I said as another customer left.

After placing the money into the register, I leaned forward against the counter completely bored out of my mind. Rose and that Mason kid were out taking in the sights while I was here trying to maintain the business. After all, this bakery was our only source of income.

The door jingled open and a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes walked in with a basket.

"Excuse me," she called, making me turn my head towards her.

"Yes?" I replied.

She smiled. "Are you hiring at the moment? I'm looking for a part-time job," she said.

I scratched the back of my head. "Well, I do have a worker here, but she's having a day-off today," I explained.

Her eyes brightened up. "Oh, that's okay! Can I work here just for today? I promise I won't be a burden," she said.

I thought about it and shrugged. "Why not? It's just for today only, though," I reminded her.

She nodded enthusiastically. "I'm Lilia, by the way," she introduced herself.

I nodded. "Dimitri," I replied.

Taking her to the back room, I gave her the apron and hat which she took without complaint unlike what Rose had done. She was eager and ready to start working.

"So, in order to make vaglodka, you--" I began.

She clapped her hands. "Oh, I love making vaglodka, especially with my grandmother!" she interrupted.

I wasn't impressed. Of course a native would know how to make a cookie in the shape of an animal. "Well, then why don't you start making them? I'll be right outside," I said and left her pouting, obviously wanting my approval very much.

A few minutes had passed when Lilia suddenly came through the door with a perfectly-shaped vaglodka in the shape of a goat.

"See? Isn't it cute?" she squealed, holding it up to my face.

I just took a simple glance at it. "Sure. Go and just leave it in the back. I'll take care of the rest, so just continue baking until you make twenty-five," I instructed, turning my attention back to my recording book.

"Okay," she said quietly and walked back into the baking room. She had told me a few minutes ago that she was twenty-one years-old. Looking at her right now, I found that very hard to believe.

The door jingled open. I turned my head to greet the customer when my eyes fell on her.

"Back so soon?" I asked, closing the book.

She shrugged. "There wasn't much to see. We spent most of our time trying to match signs with pictures," she explained and paused at the doorway.

"What is it?" I asked.

She turned to look at me. "Is someone here?" she asked.

"Oh, some girl wanted to work, so I gave her something to do just for today while you were gone," I told her.

She put on the spare apron and hat and went into the back. "Hey, what's up?" she greeted as the door shut closed behind her.

"Who the hell are you?" Lilia sneered in Russian.

I rolled my eyes. Just perfect. I went to the back room and crossed my arms, making them turn their heads toward me.

"Lilia, meet Rose. Rose, Lilia. Try to get along just for today," I introduced. Rose just shrugged whereas Lilia had a disgusted look.

Stretching her arms out, Rose asked, "So, what am I making today, comrade?"

Lilia was about to say something, but I cut her off. "Vaglodka. Please tell me you know how to bake cookies," I said.

She blinked as if I had spoken pig Latin. "There are things called instant cookie dough back where I came from," she explained dryly.

Sighing, I scratched the back of my head. "Lilia, go watch the front. I need to teach Rose for a minute," I said.

"Okay!" she said with a large grin and skipped outside.

Like I said, I can't believe she's twenty-one.

I took out the flour, water, sugar, and salt and placed them on the metal counter. Taking out the large mixing pan, I gave her the stirrer.

"So basically, once you mix everything by equal proportions, stir until you get a nice, thick dough," I instructed.

She nodded once. "Thick dough. Got it," she replied.

"Then spread out the dough on this cooking sheet and cut goat and cow shapes. Make as much as you can with the dough you have," I said.

"Goat and cow?" she repeated.

I gave her a nod, motioning to the cutters on the other side of the counter. "The oven's already preheated, so just slide them in and wait for twenty minutes. Don't make them so thick, by the way," I said.

She laughed. "I'll give it a try," she said with a mock salute and began working.

With a small smile, I walked out, relieving Lilia of her short duty.

"What do I do now?" she asked, awkwardly eager.

From the corner of shop, I handed her a dustpan and broom. "Make the floor clean," I said.

She swiped them from my hands and cleaned like there was no tomorrow.

While I was reading my book, Rose came out with a tray full of fresh, hot vaglodka.

"Comrade, do these look edible enough for you?" she asked.

I stared at them for quite some time. Some of the goat's mouths were slanted, and some of the cow's tails were broken off from the body.

"Rose," I began. "You've never baked before, have you?"

She scoffed. "Do you think I'd be asking you on my progress if I did?" she shot back.

"Even though, when does a goat ever have a crooked mouth? And why is the cow's tail separated from its body? Do you really expect me to sell these?" I asked.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't know it was a crime to disfigure _cookies_," she said sarcastically.

I sighed. "Look, just take them back and fix everything with the frosting tube. I'll see what I can do about them afterwards," I said.

"Whatever," she mumbled and walked back to the baking room.

Lilia just remained quiet throughout the entire ordeal.

When it was quiet, she stood up straight and looked at me, all sense of playfulness gone. "So, how're things with you and Tasha?" she asked casually. "I haven't heard from her."

I shrugged. "We separated in America. That's probably why," I said.

Her mouth hung open. "You guys broke up?" she asked, a little too happy.

I sat up. "Basically," I replied and looked at the clock. "Look, why don't you put those away and go on home? I'm going to close up right now."

"Sure, no problem," she sang, putting the items back in their original spots. She took off the hat and apron, placed them back on the hangers, and skipped out the door.

I resisted the urge to throw my hands in the air for victory. Standing up, I walked to the back room and saw Rose trying desperately to decorate the cookies properly. When the frosting squirted everywhere, she groaned and banged her hand against the metal counter.

"Damn you!" she growled and concentrated heavily on tracing the edges of the cookie.

I tried to repress a laugh but failed miserably, making her turn her attention towards me.

"What?" she groaned. "It's not my fault doing this is so incredibly hard."

I walked over to her and held out my palm at her. "Here, let me show you," I said.

She doubtfully handed me the white frosting tube. "Knock yourself out," she said.

I bent over the counter and gently squeezed the tube along the edges of the cookie. Once I was finished, I found her staring at my face with an unfathomable expression. I couldn't pinpoint what it was, but I suddenly found myself staring into her dark, chocolate eyes. She was the first one to break out of her trance.

"You make it look so easy," she stated, averting her eyes towards the cookie.

I suddenly became very interested in the white frosting. "Well, practice does make perfect," I reminded her.

She rolled her eyes. "Tell me something I haven't heard before," she said.

I laughed. "Do you want to know that we can go home now?" I suggested.

She grinned. "Hell yeah! Wait, let me finish one more cookie first," she said and focused immensely on the next cookie. It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either. If I had to say, she made this one look pretty decent.

I took off my apron. "Okay, I think I can sell that one. We'll finish the rest tomorrow morning," I said as she started taking off her own apron and hat.

"Fine by me," she replied.

She walked out to get the bicycle ready as I locked every lock on the door. As we went home, she just continued to grip the back of my sweatshirt. I wondered if she wasn't afraid of falling off in case we made a sharp turn.

* * *

During dinner, Alina brought up news from the academy.

"The fourth graders are going to have an art gallery exhibit this Friday!" she announced proudly.

Rose laughed. "Art gallery?" she repeated.

Alina nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, we worked really hard for the past month to put it all together, so please come!" she begged.

We all looked at one another.

"Well, I'm sure I can go. The bakery can take a day off," I said with a small shrug.

My mom smiled. "Of course I'll go, sweetheart," she said.

Rose grinned. "I'm definitely going, whether or not the bakery's closed," she said.

All heads turned to Natalya. She just nodded her head without looking up from her bowl.

My mom clapped her hands together. "So it's decided. We're going to meet up at Alina's school around five on Friday," she said, earning nods from everyone except Natalya.

Once dinner was over, Rose and I headed off towards my room where she fell back onto the bed and exhaled heavily.

"So, did you enjoy yourself today?" she asked.

I shrugged. "It couldn't have been worse," I replied honestly.

She laughed. "Well, I really didn't see much of this arctic territory today," she mumbled.

"But didn't he treat you well?" I asked.

She made a face. "Yeah, he made me feel like a princess of some sort. It felt kind of weird. I mean, I've only just met him, and he acted like we were soul mates or something," she explained.

I chuckled as I pulled out a book from my small bookshelf. "I can't imagine," I muttered.

She rolled over on the bed to face me sideways. "Do you think you could show me around, since you're a native and all?" she asked.

I raised a brow, curious.

"I don't find this place entertaining at all, but I want to figure out why you like living here," she explained and shrugged. "But if you don't want to, it's fine by me."

"No," I responded, a little too quickly. "No, I'll show you around."

She grinned. "Awesome. Thursday sound okay?" she asked.

I nodded once. "Of course," I replied.

With that, she flipped back to face the other direction. It was a good thing she did, because I couldn't control the swelling feeling in my chest. Not in a bad way, though. I'll admit that I was happy when she asked me to show her around.

But, why?

* * *

**Loved it? Liked it? Hated it? R&R!**

**I don't think I can apologize enough for the late update. :X**

**But, Merry Christmas!**

**-Delicate**


	6. Engaged

**I spread my apologies! I hope this chapter makes up for my absence!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_Engaged_

As I walked down the stairs to wait for Rose to finish getting ready, I saw my mother speaking on the phone with tired circles under her eyes.

"No, I don't believe that'll be a healthy choice. I won't force him to do anything. I'm sorry if it displeases you, but it's not my choice to make," she said and hung up.

I walked out from behind the wall, startling her. "What was that about? We don't normally receive any phone calls this early in the morning," I pointed out.

She just gave me a tired smile and laughed. "Oh, it's nothing at all. Don't worry about it," she reassured, wiping her hands on her apron.

"Good morning, Mrs. Belikov," Rose yawned as she entered the kitchen. She was wearing one of my sweatshirts again, but to me it looked like a blanket on her.

My mother seemed delighted for the interruption. "Ah, good morning, Rose! Wait just one moment, and I'll have breakfast ready for you," she said and scurried into the kitchen, leaving us alone.

Rose studied her through her tired gaze. "What happened?" she asked, "It's not like her to keep secrets."

"I agree. Well, for now let's just wait and see," I replied and went to get the bike ready.

After I had unfastened the lock and wheeled it to the front, Rose came out with two plastic containers in a strap bag and sat behind me.

As we rode through the city, I asked, "Where do you want to start?"

She thought for a moment. "How about the ones closeby first and go from there?" she suggested.

I couldn't help but grin; she was a very decisive person.

As we rode by the little street shops, Rose kept describing in awe at what each vendor was selling. Finally, we stopped at The Dome of Omsk, a castle that looked similar to the palace in the Disney movie, _Aladdin_.

Rose slowly got off the bike as I locked it up against a tree and made her way towards it as if mesmerized by its beauty and unique architecture.

"Damn, I've never seen a building structured like this in reality. Cartoons, yeah. But not back in America," she said, amazed as she pulled out a small disposable camera and pressed the silver button to take a picture.

I couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm as she walked from side to side as if she couldn't get enough of the sight of the dome. If it'd been Tasha, she would've just smiled politely and admire the view from one position.

Rose stopped pacing and turned to face me. "Hey, if this is a famous monument, then why does it look so new? You guys polish it every other day since the day it was constructed?" she asked, curious.

Laughing, I answered, "Before the Bolsheviks came to power, Omsk had the Center - the Omsk Dome and the nearby square. It was one of the most beautiful churches in Russia. But the Barbarians had no mercy and it was destroyed in the thirties. So, Omsk lost its Center."

She just stared as if she was offended. "To hell with them! How could they tear down this piece of art?" she grumbled.

I grimaced. "A wonder indeed. But, when the reign of the Bolsheviks came to an end, it was only in the new millennium that Omsk had got its Center back. The Dome you see here had been reconstructed strictly according to the original," I concluded.

Understanding filled her face. "Oh, so that's why. You guys may be living in an arctic wasteland, but you have the monuments to make up for being in such a boring country," she joked, erupting a laugh from me.

"After living with us for a week and a half, you still think like that," I mused, shaking my head in disbelief.

She shrugged. "Takes a lot to change my mind, comrade," she said.

I was about to open my mouth to reply until my phone started to vibrate in my pocket. "Hello?" I answered.

"Ah, Dimitri? It's Anya Batkin. I'm sorry, but I really need to make a fast order. The woman in charge of bringing the pastries suddenly came down with the flu, so it's my responsibility now," the caller said frantically.

I tried to repress a groan. "How soon do you need it by?" I asked.

"By five in the afternoon," she replied. I could almost swear I heard her biting on her fingernails out of anxiety.

I looked at my watch. It was almost ten, which meant we had seven hours to bake everything.

"Okay, we'll prepare your order. What do you need?" I asked, taking out a notepad and pen; this had happened various times before.

"Today's party is apple-based, so I need three of each: apple babka, apple pie, and apple sharlott," she answered.

When I had finished writing everything down, I said, "All right. Please come by around five, then."

She sighed in relief. "I'm so thankful, Dimitri. Thank you so, so much," she said.

When I hung up, I turned to Rose with a grimace, making her look at me with confusion.

"What's up?" she asked.

I put the notepad in my pocket. "We have a rush order. Sorry, Rose, but sightseeing is going to have to wait for another time. I promise," I apologized, getting the bike ready.

She didn't look bummed out. "It's fine. Customer satisfaction's more important, right?" she said with a laugh as she sat behind me with her hands gripping the back of my jacket.

She couldn't see, but another smile made it's way to my face. That was happening a lot lately, come to think of it. Her jokes might sound harsh, but there's humor somewhere in them. The way she smiled made it seem like the whole world was at ease. As I started pedaling, it just hit me.

Just being with this girl made me feel like I was the happiest man on the planet.

* * *

Before going back into town, I parked the bike in front of a local street fruit vendor.

"What're we doing here?" she asked, curious.

I scanned the hut for apples, fresh apples. "We need ingredients to complete the order," I said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. I found the basket of apples and whistled with my fingers.

Suddenly, a man in his forties appeared and laughed. "Dimitri, it's been so long! How are you?" he greeted, waving his arms in the air.

I laughed. "Hi, Anton. I need five crates of apples delivered to the bakery," I said, making Rose wide-eyed.

"Sure, no problem! We'll be there within five minutes," he answered and disappeared behind the curtains.

As I continued pedaling, Rose asked, "Who was he? He sounds like he's your close friend."

Smiling, I answered, "He's like the uncle I never had. I've been getting all my fruits from him for a good price." It's true. Ever since my father left after I gave him a good beating, it was thanks to Anton that my mother's bakery still remained standing. He always offered to give us the fruit he had planned on selling that day. All in all, we were his first customers everyday.

When we reached the bakery, I hastily chained the bike right next to the building and went inside, locking the door behind me; I couldn't afford to have customers dawdling in and out when we were baking under time pressure.

"What's the menu?" Rose asked as she put on her apron and bandana.

I whipped out the notepad and tore off the paper I'd written on, sticking it to the wall. "Three apple babka, three apple pies, and three apple sharlott," I answered, going out the back door to see the crates of apples I'd requested. After bringing them all into the kitchen, I went to one of the drawers and pulled out two peelers, tossing one to Rose who caught it without so much as a flinch.

"I understood apple _pies_, but how the hell do you make the other two?" she asked.

"Start peeling," I ordered as I grabbed a chair and a trashcan, pulling them up right next to the crates. Once Rose started peeling for her life, I answered, "I'll just instruct you on what to do today since we're under a time restraint. Don't ask any questions and only follow what I tell you to do."

She mocked a salute with an apple. "Aye-aye, captain Dimitri," she said, making me laugh at her ridiculous gesture.

When we were halfway through with the apples, Rose suddenly asked, "Hey, if…if I don't want to go home, do you think I could stay here with your family?"

I stopped halfway of peeling the apple in my hand and looked up at her with a surprised look on my face. "You don't want to go home?" I repeated slowly, as if to let her question sink in deeper to my understanding.

She groaned and turned so that she wasn't facing me anymore. "Forget what I just said. God, I swear you look like I just announced I'm a vampire," she muttered as she continued peeling.

We just sat there in silence, excluding the noises coming from the apples. Often times, I snuck short glances at her. She just sat there with a thoughtful look on her face as she was doing the task I'd asked her to do. I thought about what life would be like when she returned to the States. I'd be able to catch up on my reading, to not have anyone complain to me about anything, and to bake pastries and breads without having to clean up a huge mess afterwards.

My thoughts were interrupted with another phone call. "Hello?" I answered, wiping my hands on the apron.

"Dimitri?" my mother asked.

I smiled. "Hi. Is something the matter?" I asked; she never called me when I was out except if it was an emergency.

There was a little pause before she said, "We're invited over for dinner tonight."

It didn't take much to figure out that she was uneasy and uncomfortable about this. "You weren't forced to accept this invitation, were you?" I asked, crossing my right arm against my chest. Many people in the past had tried to get my mother to participate in every little event going on in the city whether it was public or private.

"Oh, no! No, of course not," she said, instantly kicking up her tone a notch. Honestly, who was she trying to fool?

"Mother," I said in a warning tone.

She laughed. "Don't worry, Dimitri. It's only dinner," she said.

I sighed and turned my head to look at Rose who was unaware of the phone conversation. "Is it just you and me?" I asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," she said apologetically, "I really would love it if Rose could come along, too."

I shook my head. "No, it's not right to get her involved with these complicated people. How soon should I be home?" I asked.

"Whenever you're done with work. We're supposed to be there by seven," she answered. Perfect, as if my schedule couldn't be more busy.

After we said our goodbyes, I put the phone back on the receiver and walked back to the crates of apples. To my surprise, Rose had finished up all the apples and just sat there waiting for new instructions. Even though she had a harsh mouth, I had to admit she was a diligent worker.

"Okay, now that the apples are done, we'll start with making three apple babkas," I said, going to the cabinets and pulling out several mixing bowls and whisks.

Rose got everything and laid them out on the table in a neat fashion; apparently, she knew just how urgent our current situation was.

I took out bread, milk, egg, butter, and apricot sauce. "Don't worry about this. Take about seventeen apples and cut out the cores of every one of them," I instructed as I hastily sliced the butter and bread, cutting off the crust in the process. Once that was done, I cracked the egg and put everything but the apricot sauce and bread into the mixing bowl and whisked it until it blended well together. After that, I soaked each bread slice in the mixture and laid it on three pans that were greased with butter.

"Done!" Rose called, tying up the trash bag filled with apple cores.

While she was taking the bag out the door, I sliced them into cubes and sprinkled sugar over them before placing them on top of the soaked breads. Once I covered each pan with apples, I placed another layer of bread on them and sprinkled cinnamon before placing each babka in the oven.

When I looked at the clock, we had exactly five hours to make three apple pies and three apple sharlotts. We couldn't afford to waste time.

* * *

"Oh, I'm so grateful to you, Dimitri. Really, you saved my life today. If there's anything I can do for you, don't hesitate to ask," Mrs. Batkin said as Rose helped load the boxes of pastry into her car.

I just smiled and gave her change in her hand. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Enjoy your party," I replied and with that she took off.

I turned to look in the kitchen and heaved a sigh; the place was a disaster. Looking at the clock, I had two hours to clean the place up, go home, get ready, and leave with my mother for the dinner invitation.

Rose walked past me and tossed me a broom with a grin. "Come on. The faster we clean up, the faster we can go home. I'm starving," she said with a playful groan.

Within a half-hour, the place was near spotless. But that didn't matter. I locked up the bakery for the day and got the bike ready to go back home. Rose stifled a yawn as I chained up my bike in front of the house and walked through the door to find my mother dressed up formally.

"Hey, Olena. Are you going on a date?" she asked, a little shocked.

She chuckled at Rose's expression. "No. I have a dinner appointment with an acquaintance. Dimitri's going with me," she answered with a smile. I didn't know which one to be shocked at: the fact that my mother told a white lie just now, or the fact that she used a big english word.

Rose just shrugged and laughed. "Well, I hope you both have fun," she said and went up the stairs to probably change out of my clothes.

I took the chance to take a quick shower and change into a white t-shirt and dark blue jeans. My mother might think it's formal, but because she was reluctant to accept this invitation, I found no reason to dress up in a suit and tie.

As we took a taxi, I could see the distress on her face. "What's wrong? Did they threaten you for something?" I asked, instantly becoming on the alert.

She jumped slightly, startled, and smiled. "No, nothing. Don't worry so much, Dimitri," she said, waving her hand.

I didn't buy her act. Obviously, something was going to happen, and I didn't like what it was.

We walked into a fancy restaurant that only the rich ate at, and a waitress escorted us to a private room in the back. When we stepped through the door, I was mildly shocked to find Lilia and who I presumed to be her mother sitting down. I walked over and pulled out the chair for my mother before seating myself in front of the girl.

She giggled like a little girl. "Hi, Dimitri," she greeted cheerfully.

I only nodded in response.

The woman sat up straight in her chair, her jewelries jangling against each other. "Olena, nice meeting you," she said with a business-like tone.

"Marina," my mother replied stiffly.

Marina turned to stare at me with studious eyes. "Dimitri Belikov, was it?" she asked.

"Yes," I replied with a tone matching my mother's.

She closed her eyes and smiled. "I guess you'll do for my Lilia," she said, folding her arms across her chest.

Lilia's eyes sparkled in delight. "Really, mama? You really approve?" she squealed. When she received a nod, she was shaking with excitement. The only problem was I wasn't sure what she was so happy about.

"Approve of what?" I asked in a dark tone. I didn't like feeling like an animal being auctioned off to a random ranch owner.

"Marina, I thought I told you to leave my son alone," my mother interrupted, her tone so loud it even shocked me.

But the other woman just laughed. "Oh, please. No need to get upset. You know Dimitri here has to get married sooner or later," she said.

"Excuse me?" I demanded.

Marina locked her eyes on me. "You heard me, boy. You are now officially engaged to my Lilia," she said.

I could feel the blood draining from my face. This had to be a dream. No, not a dream. A _nightmare._

* * *

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**I'm so sorry I went awol since Christmas! D: But now that I'm going to college next month, I have plenty of time to catch up with my two fanfics! **

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	7. Lost Hope

**This is a really late update. I'm sorry! But if I don't update before 2011, Merry Christmas!~**

**Enjoy~**

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_Lost Hope_

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"My son doesn't have to accept this under your condition," my mother said with an acidic tone I had only heard once before in my lifetime; and trust me, it was something no one wanted to hear. Her tone sent chills down my spine.

Marina folded her large arms across her large chest, her jewelries jangling against each other. "Olena, stop doting on poor, little Dimitri. He's a grown man, and you know that he will have to eventually get married," she pointed out. God she was annoying. Like mother like daughter, they always said.

My mother suddenly had a slightly smug look on her face. "I know. That's why I won't approve of this marriage. I won't approve of anyone until Dimitri finds someone he actually cares about _on his own_," she said, heavily emphasizing the last part.

The other woman narrowed her eyes at me. "You don't care about my precious Lilia? Answer me, Belikova!" she demanded.

I shrugged. "I hardly know her to start caring," I replied with a little harshness in my voice. Lilia had visibly flinched and looked as if she'd start crying at any moment.

"Belikova, do you have any plans to settle down soon? Honestly?" Marina asked with high skepticism.

"Obviously," I replied, mentally rolling my eyes at how lame this conversation was turning.

"Anyone in mind?" she pressed.

"No, but-" I began.

"Then how about this. Three days," she said, leaning back in her seat.

I had to swallow out of anxiety. "Three days for what?" I asked cautiously.

She looked at me like I had just asked the stupidest question in the world. "I'm giving you three days to find yourself a wife. If you don't, you will be married to my Lilia by the end of that third day," she said, looking pleased with herself.

My mother jumped out of her seat. "Marina!" she growled, surprising the three of us. I had heard my mother scream, shout, and scold, but I had never heard her _growl_.

I stood up and took my mother's arm. "I'll take that offer. Three days," I confirmed and led my fuming mother out of the restaurant and into the taxi.

When we had arrived home, she set her things on the kitchen table and sat down in a chair while I went in and out of the kitchen with a cup of water in my hands. After she finished drinking the cup, she slammed it down on the table hard but not hard enough to break it.

"Marina's a fool. I'm doting on you? Look at her doting on that half-wit daughter of hers! A marriage in three days is insane!" she groaned and ran a hand through her hair.

I held her hand reassuringly. "Don't worry about anything," I said soothingly, hoping to ease of her the anger that never failed to scare me.

She turned her head and looked at me with sympathy. "I have to worry. I don't want my son to go off and marry someone he doesn't love. You can't fall in love in three days," she said softly shaking her head. "It's just not possible."

Giving her a smile, I said, "Don't worry. I'll think of something."

* * *

"Oh, you're already seeing someone? I see. No, no it's okay. Thank you," I said for the umpteenth time today and hung up, frustrated. I shut my high school yearbook closed and tossed it onto the floor. Clearly, trying to hook-up with my old classmates was proving to be a futile effort. I was surprised that some of the nerds I had known were already married with kids.

And that's what had been bugging me.

I found it hard to believe that every girl in my high school class was with someone. My thoughts led me to believe that Marina, and even Lilia, had something to do with it. They were really persistent last night that I wouldn't doubt in my mind that they had somehow threatened or bribed every girl I knew.

Or, _almost_ every girl.

As if my prayers had been answered, Rose walked out of the bathroom with a yawn. Of course. What was I doing calling up random girls I had hardly talked to back in school when I had the solution in front of me with all her glory?

Apparently, Rose had felt my eyes on her for a few seconds before turning to give me a confused expression of hers. "Anything wrong, Comrade? You've been acting weird ever since you woke up," she said, standing up straight with her arms folded across her chest.

I shook my head with a small smile. "Nothing's wrong. You look great," I said, making her flush slightly.

She glanced at her clothes before looking at me again. "Have you been drinking? These baggy pajamas of yours don't really make me look _great_. Midget's a better word," she said with a laugh.

Her laughter died, and we were just there staring at each other. Her eyes showed some sort of internal struggle with her conscience. As I continued to dive deeper into her chocolate brown orbs, she suddenly turned away and became very interested in her clothes that took up half of my closet. "We should hurry up and get ready. Alina's already at her school by now no doubt," she said in her normal tone, taking a pair of dark skinny jeans and a white shirt back into the bathroom.

I blinked several times, wondering if she realized that I was already dressed and ready to leave. If I didn't know any better, _she_ was the one acting strange.

By the time we arrived at Alina's school, there were many other parents there already. Alina sprinted towards us and grinned. "Hi! Come on! I'll show you my paintings!" she said, dragging our mother and Natalya towards her classroom.

Rose smiled wistfully before following them, a smile that didn't escape my sight. As we looked at the other students' projects, Alina told us who made what and why. After we had gone through everyone's project, we stopped in front of her desk where two paintings sat.

She proudly pointed to the one that resembled all of us. "That's all of us. Mama, Natalya, Dimka, Rose, and me. Because we're one big family!" she said proudly.

As my mother complimented her painting, I heard Rose made sort of a half-choking sound in her throat. Without thinking, I took her hand in mine, making her jump. She looked like she wanted to be anywhere but here, but I wasn't having any of that as I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

Then, Alina pointed at the other painting. "That's Dimka and Rose getting married! It took me longer to finish because I wanted Rose's dress to be beautiful," she said, making all of us speechless. My and Rose's jaw dropped.

It was silent for a few seconds until Natalya bursted out laughing. "Oh, oh that just makes my day. Rose and Dimka getting marr-" she suddenly paused and looked as if she just found the answer to life before rushing out. "Thanks, Alina!" was heard echoing through the halls. The rest of us looked at each other and shrugged.

"Rose, do you think you can go see where Natalya went? I need to talk to Dimitri. Take Alina with you, too," my mother said with a smile.

"Sure, no problem. Come on, Alina. Let's go!" Rose said as if they were going on a treasure hunt, pretending to scout out the hall before walking out of the room. Alina followed her, giggling all the way.

My mother chuckled as the two scurried away. "I really do like Rose. Don't you?" she asked, turning her attention back to me.

I frowned. "Don't tell me you're thinking..." I trailed off since she seemed to be getting the hint.

She grinned. "Yes, I am. This is perfect! Don't tell me you haven't thought of this before!" she said cheerfully, all traces of yesterday's foul mood gone.

Laughing, I replied, "Actually, I just figured it out this morning." She was going to be my last hope. If she could follow through and have decent acting skills, I could get Lilia and her mother off my back.

* * *

**Rose's POV**

"Ah! There's Natalya!" Alina said triumphantly.

I grinned and turned my head just in time to catch her being punched to the ground by the same person who brought in his gang to the bakery last week. All traces of playfulness gone, I strode over to them as fast as I could while preventing Alina from tripping over her own two feet.

He was about to hit her while she was struggling to get up until I managed to throw a punch to his own face, making him stagger back quite a bit. I bent down as Alina and I helped Natalya up. She was dizzy from that punch but quickly snapped out of it as she glared at the gang leader.

"Do I need to prove my point? We're through. If you keep bothering me, I'll make Rose and Dimka beat your ass to the ground until there's nothing left of you," she said in a tone so cold it sent shivers down my spine.

He looked like he was about to retort back.

I stepped forward with a grin. "Asshole, remember me? Do I need to give you a repeat of how Dimitri took you down last week? Seems to me like you have horrible memory," I said, hands on my hips.

He took a step back, still glaring at my face. "You aren't as strong without Belikova," he hissed, stepping back as I advanced.

I opened my mouth to shut him up, until Natalya hissed, "Anton, go away. I don't want to see you ever again."

Anton continued to glare at me, making me roll my eyes. "Glaring at me isn't going to magically burn a hole in my face," I said sarcastically.

"This isn't over, súka!" he screeched before running away.

Unable to hold it in, I started laughing. "He's not so tough without his little buddies after all. Chicken shit," I said, turning to Natalya with a smile. I almost jumped back when I found her giving me a small smile. Small, but it was a smile nonetheless.

Suddenly, she gripped my free arm in an iron grip. "Rose, I need you to help me. I think you're the only one that can help," she pleaded.

I could only blink twice before nodding, not knowing what twisted plan she had for me.

* * *

**Dimitri's POV**

After meeting up with Rose and my two sisters, we walked back home while admiring Alina's work that she got to take with her. Well, at least my mother and I were. Natalya and Rose were off in a conversation of their own, which shocked us out of our wits. How did these two enemies become friends within a matter of minutes? No, not friends. _Best_ friends. Something had to be wrong, because the moment we stepped in the house, those two rushed up the stairs to Natalya's room and shut the door behind them.

I looked over at my mother, and she shook her head at me. "Let them be. I haven't seen Natalya this lively in such a long time," she said with a chuckle before heading into the kitchen to start preparing for dinner.

Alina tugged at my pants, making me look down at her. "Dimka, can you help me put this up on the wall next to the entrance door?" she asked, holding out the painting to me.

I smiled and ruffled her hair before taking it. I went into the storage closet and came back with four thumbtacks, tacking each corner of the painting next to the door just like she wanted. Looking closer at the family portrait Alina had painted, she subtly had Rose and I holding hands. I shook my head out of exasperation.

"What's wrong, Dimka?" Alina asked, hopping next to me. She followed my line of sight and giggled happily. "Don't be embarrassed, Dimka. Even if no one could see, I saw you holding Rose's hand today. And you looked really happy," she chirped and scurried away before I could say anything.

My face fell. For a third grader, she was certainly a romanticist. But there was no way Rose could have feelings for me. She was only here because she wanted to work to buy her ride back home.

The next morning, Rose spewed out her daily complaints, this time about waking up before the sun god. "It's rude to be up before a god! You should know that!" she muttered before slamming the door to the bathroom.

I laughed at how random her rants were. If things worked out the way I had planned the night before, I would be more than happy to give her two days off.

After opening the bakery, I decided to teach Rose how to make syrniki.

"A sir-what?" Rose asked, dumbfounded.

I heaved a sigh. "Not 'sir.' _Syr_niki," I corrected. When she failed to comprehend the pronunciation process, I gave up and just showed her where the ingredients to make a syrniki were. Once she had managed to take out everything needed and in the right quantities after several times of practicing, I took out a large pot and poured frying oil in it before setting it on the stove.

Looking over to where she leaned against the metal counter, I instructed, "Take everything you took out, except the flour, and knead it together with your hands until it becomes stiff dough."

"Yes, _syr_," she said teasingly and put her hands to work as she put every ingredient except flour into a mixing bowl and mashed them together.

Leaning against the wall to supervise, I watched as her muscles flexed when she pressed down on the mixture before tossing and turning it in the bowl, repeating the process again and again. With every movement she made, her hair swung from side to side which made it tempting for me to grab those silky strands. I'd only touched them once, but ever since then I had been repressing the urge to weave my hands in her hair. And the way her beautiful, full lips curved into a smile for the first time ever since we met made me want to run my fingers over her lips, to feel how soft and smooth they really were. Her eyes were deep and smoldering, and there were times when they secretly made me weak at the knees under her gaze. I could go on and on about every feature of Rose down to the last molecule of matter, but I had to remind myself, like every other time, that she probably didn't feel the same attraction I felt for her, and she was only here until she's able to buy a plane ticket back to America, no matter how vivid and creative my dreams seem to speak otherwise.

It's a wonder how a human being like Rose had this much impact on me.

She wiped the sweat off her forehead with her forearm. "Okay, it's doughy enough. What's next?" she asked, turning her face to look at me. And there I saw her internal struggle again, just from looking into her eyes.

Whatever was bothering her had nothing to do with me, so I hoisted myself off the wall and walked over to the counter. I tore off a piece of the dough, rolled it into a small sphere, and flattened it into a disk with my palm before covering it in flour. "Is that self-explanatory, or do I need to verbally give you instructions?" I asked, leaving my finished one in front of the bowl.

She flashed me that trademark grin of hers. "No worries, Comrade. Leave it to me," she said and mimicked my movements. By the time she was halfway done with the dough, I turned on the stove at a low temperature so that the oil wouldn't just suddenly start splashing everywhere. By the time it started to boil, Rose finished using up the dough.

"Bring ten of those over here," I instructed, grabbing a pair of tongs from the cabinet next to the stove. She brought them on a plate and looked on with curiosity as I placed all ten in the pot, the flour causing the oil to sizzle. "Let each batch sit in the oil for three to four minutes, flip them, and leave them in for another two minutes," I said, setting the timer.

"That's it? You make it sound so simple," she said, sounding highly skeptical.

Chuckling, I wiped my hands on my apron. "It sounds easy now. But the trick for these to taste right is the timing," I said.

She rolled her eyes. "Great. Waiting. My favorite thing to do," she muttered, shoving her hands in the apron pockets.

It was silent between us for a few seconds.

I cleared my throat, unsure how to ask her properly. "You don't have any plans tomorrow, do you?" I asked, chancing a glance at her. What was I doing? I sounded like an eighteen year-old boy asking her out on a date. I resisted the urge to smack myself at my own stupidity.

She laughed, making me wish I could hide under a rock. "Of course not. I'm always here with you," she said, then suddenly froze as if trying to figure out if what she said didn't sound right.

Nonetheless, I couldn't help but smile out of relief. She was my ticket to liberation.

When the timer went off, I handed Rose the tongs. She quickly flipped all ten as I set the timer for another two minutes. When they were finished, she took the plate from my hand and placed the ten syrniki onto it. I took the tongs from her and took one, placing it to my lips to blow off the heat. When I could tell it had cooled down slightly, I held it in front of her, her eyes widening with surprise.

"You won't charge me for this, will you?" she asked with a grin, making me laugh.

I jerked it towards her. "If you don't eat this within the next five seconds, I'll reconsider," I said teasingly. God, did I just tease her?

She carefully took a bite. "Mmm! This is delicious!" she cried with a moan. "I'm definitely in Russian heaven." She took the syrniki from the tongs and ate it while savoring the taste. "Who knew cheese could taste this good," she mused, licking the tip of her index finger when she was finished with it.

"Russians do, apparently," I said, setting the plate on the top shelf of the oven to keep it from cooling down and hardening back into stiff cheese. "Now, finish cooking the rest of the syrniki," I told her and moved to leave the kitchen.

"Are you sure you trust me being back here alone? I might just eat everything," she called, the teasing evident in her voice.

I looked back her and gave her a sly smile. "Do that and I'll be waking you up an hour earlier than I normally do every morning," I threatened playfully, making her groan as I left.

* * *

When we reached home that evening, Rose sniffed her jacket. "I smell like cheese balls. I'm going to take a shower before Olena serves dinner," she said and moved to go up the stairs until there was a furious banging on the door.

Alina bounced to the door and opened it slightly to see who it was. This stranger didn't have any patience and slammed the door open, making my little sister fly back onto her butt.

"Ow! Meanie!" she cried as I rushed to help her up.

Looking up, I saw Lilia standing there, her hair a mess and in her hands a pair of killer heels. Did I mention she was out of breath?

"You've got a lot of nerve showing your face here and doing that to my sister," I said, the bitterness in my voice clearly audible. Using dirty tricks was one thing, but mistreating my family was intolerable.

She waved her hand in front of me. "Whatever. She was in the way. Is she here?" she asked.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Which 'she'?" I asked harshly; there were four women in the house, even though I had a pretty good idea of who she wanted to see.

"That girl that works in your bakery. I know she's here. I saw you coming back together, so don't lie to me," Lilia said impatiently.

And to my dismay, Rose came down the stairs, fury radiating off of her. "Well, 'that girl' is right here. What do you want?" she asked in her don't-mess-with-me voice.

I watched as both women stood there glowering at each other. Alina ran into the kitchen just as Lilia's look wavered first. "Let's talk outside," she said, walking out the door.

Rose crossed her arms across her chest. "I'm perfectly fine here. If you've got something to say to me, you can say it in front of Dimitri," she said with an air of confidence.

Lilia, however, glared at how she used my name. Pushing her thoughts aside, she dug into her designer bag and pulled out a thin, but long envelope, holding it out to her. "Take it," she said.

She cautiously did, her eyes never leaving Lilia's face. "What the hell is this? A paper bomb?" she asked, opening the envelope. Her fingers stopped in the middle of pulling out what made my heart stop.

Lilia triumphantly smiled. "It's what it is: a one-way ticket back to the United States. It departs tomorrow morning, so you don't have to bothering wasting yours and Dimitri's time in the bakery," she said and left. Before she walked out, she paused at the doorway to turn and give me a sickening sweet smile. "Oh, and Dimka, the hill to your house is unbelievably steep and messy. Once everything's settled, I'll make sure you'll never have to torture your body ever again," she said walked out, slamming the door behind her.

I swallowed back a phrase I'd never let anyone hear and stared at Rose who was regarding the plane ticket with something that looked like..._amusement_? "Rose?" I called, startling her out of her thoughts. "Are you seriously going to go?"

She gave me a humored smile. "What do you think?" she asked, waving the ticket. With that, she walked up the stairs chuckling to herself.

I, however, found nothing funny. The last bit of hope I had left was suddenly gone. Lost. There's nothing more I could do to fight back.

* * *

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	8. The One

**Sorry for the wait (again)!**

**Enjoy!**

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_The One_

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The alarm clock rang at its usual time, and I turned it off slowly with a long sigh. By the time I had woken up half an hour earlier, the bed was empty. Everything of hers was gone, and letting that fact sink in made my heart drop even more. The world was cruel for making me submit to this torture; within twenty-four hours, I'll be unhappily married to a stranger.

As I went downstairs to get ready to leave for the bakery, my mother handed me a bag filled with food in plastic containers with a solemn expression on her face. "Normally, I'd be giving this to Rose. Funny how attached a person can become after two weeks," she said gloomily, brushing her hands on her apron.

After putting my shoes on, I paused in the middle of leaving the house. "Did…did she say anything before she left?" I asked hesitantly, not sure whether I wanted to know.

She smiled slightly. "She said thanks for the delicious food and taking care of her. She also mentioned to tell you that she will never miss you waking her up before sunrise. That, and she hopes you're looking forward to the wedding," she reported, making me laugh.

"Well, I guess that's good. I'm off," I said tersely and shut the door behind me as I went to fetch my bike.

Riding down to the bakery, the morning seemed dull and quiet. Normally, Rose would be commenting on how pretty the town was or how tired she was from waking up so early. I shook my head and mentally slapped myself. Now that Rose was gone, I had my private life again, minus the fact that Lilia will forcefully be part of it now.

Walking into the kitchen, I took out several ingredients and spread them out on the table. Grabbing a mixing bowl and whisk, I tossed in a few of the picked ingredients and started stirring them together while leaning my back against the metal counter.

If Rose was here…

"_Hey, Comrade! What're you making?" she asked, observing from the edge of the counter._

"Kulich. It's a tall loaf of…" I trailed off, looking behind me to find nobody there. "Bread," I finished with a frown as I hastily turned back to the bowl, feeling stupid from talking to no one.

Suddenly, the phone rang, making me jump from where I was.

"Hello?" I answered, putting the phone between my head and shoulder to continue whisking the mixture.

"It's me, Belikova. Were you able to find someone?" Marina's shrill, arrogant voice demanded.

I didn't answer, and she must've understood my silence because she started laughing like an insane woman who had won the lottery. Of all the women in the world, _this_ one had to be my future mother-in-law.

When she had calmed down, she cooed, "Oh, don't worry. My Lilia will take good care of you, so you won't regret anything. The ceremony will take place at the church a block away from the restaurant where we met at seven in the evening. Everything's set, so all that's left is for you to present yourself in your best suit with a big smile. See you then, _son_."

Slamming the phone back on its receiver, I exhaled my frustration and slid the mixing bowl onto the counter, running a hand through my hair. "Dammit, Rose! Why did you have to leave?" I groaned, slamming a hand onto the metal counter.

I paused, shocked at my own outburst. How could one girl have this much effect on my sanity?

The door to the kitchen suddenly opened to reveal a sniffling Alina in her school uniform running towards me to hug my waist. I patted her back and bent down, brushing her hair out of her tear-stained face.

"Hey, what happened?" I asked, placing my hands on her shoulders.

"She came to my shop on the way to school and started crying over a girl named Rose. Is that the girl I saw you with last time when you came by my shop for those apples?" Anton asked, coming through the door with a huge grin.

I couldn't look him in the face. "Yeah," I mumbled.

Alina rubbed her eyes with her sleeve. "Dimka, can you bring Rose back?" she begged, clinging onto my apron as if it was her lifeline. "Please?"

"Alina," I began with a sad smile. "Rose went back to her home. It would be wrong if I forced her to leave her house to come live in ours, wouldn't it?"

She started crying again and covered her face with her hands. "But I wanted Rose to be my sister," she sobbed and hiccupped. "She's nice and plays with me and takes care of me! Mama likes Rose, and Natalya does, too!"

Anton shoved his hands into his overall pockets. "Hey, you look like you're about to cry, Dimitri," he noted with a surprised look on his face. "I don't recall seeing you like this when you were with Tasha. Was this Rose girl special to you or something? Soulmate? Come on, you can tell big, old Anton!"

I tried to laugh at his enthusiasm, but my chest felt like it was trying to rip itself apart.

After telling him everything about Rose from the bar to yesterday, he looked thoughtful and pulled at his beard. "Whoa, that's pretty deep," he noted with awe.

"Really? After two weeks?" I asked.

"No, I mean. Getting dumped at a bar is the worst thing that could ever happen to a man," Anton mused, shaking his head sympathetically.

"Anton!" I groaned.

His figure shook with laughter. "I'm sorry, Dimitri. It had to be said," he said through his laughing and regained his composure. "But seriously, what can I say? Right when you discovered a new love, she goes up and disappears, and you're stuck with a marriage you don't want to go through. That's pretty deep."

Patting the back of Alina's head as she was starting to nod off to sleep, I sighed. "You don't have any advice for me? At all?" I asked pathetically.

"Look, maybe going through this wedding might be good for you. Who knows, this could be your destiny, a fateful encounter of soulmates," he said earnestly. "And if that Rose person loves you at all, she'll probably ditch her flight and save your ass at the altar."

I sat down on a stool with Alina sleeping in my arms. "Anton…do you think I love her?" I asked cautiously.

He laughed right out loud. "Do _I_ think? I'm not you; you have to figure that one out for yourself. You'll know for yourself when you love someone," he said proudly.

After having Anton take Alina home, I sighed and poured the neglected mixture into a cylindrical tin, putting it in the oven.

"I'll know?" I repeated, folding my arms across my chest.

* * *

Mrs. Nikitin came in just I was cleaning up the shop for the day. "Hi, Dimitri. How're you doing?" she asked sympathetically.

I immediately stopped what I was doing and gave her a small smile. "Hello. I'm perfectly fine; business is the same as it has always been doing," I reassured her, leaning on the broomstick.

She shook her head and folded her hands together. "No, I'm talking about tonight," she said, not needing to clarify what event she was referring to. Only someone as boisterous as Marina could make a small issue like my forced marriage into something as grand as a national election.

I could only frown. "I don't have a choice. I made a deal, and I lost," I pointed out with a sigh.

She came over and patted my hands with a tiny smile. "Don't worry, Dimitri. I'm sure things will get better. Hang in there," she encouraged and left the bakery without another word. I'm glad she—nor anyone else for that matter—didn't congratulate me or wish me luck. For me, this event was probably equivalent to a funeral. My freedom's funeral, to be exact.

As I was biking back home, the streets were mostly empty probably because everyone was already at the church to get good seats. In a town as small as Baia, everything was public news. Everyone knew everything. Everyone appeared at everyone's wedding. Mine was no different, except I only wished that no one would come.

Arriving at home, my mother and I only exchanged solemn looks before I headed on up to take a shower to get rid of the excess flour in my hair. I looked at the shampoo bottle and remembered a time when Rose made fun of the smell.

"_Hey, what's with you and musky scents?" she teased as she picked up the shampoo bottle and sniffed it slightly. _

_I tried to suppress a grin. "Nothing. It was on sale," I countered. It was half true; there was a clearance at the local mart._

_She snickered. "Right. And I'll bet that your aftershave was on sale, too. Admit it; you're obsessed with this masculine scent," she laughed._

"_I am not!" I defended. _

"_Hi, I'm Dimitri, and I like to smell like a man!" she improvised with a deep voice, using the ends of her hair as a moustache. _

_I couldn't contain it and burst out laughing. _

Smiling, I started scrubbing my hair and proceeded to finish my shower. Once I got to my bed, my mother was standing there staring at the suit that was laid out on top of my blankets.

"I was waiting to see you wear this willingly at your wedding," she said somberly, reaching to run her fingers along the material. "I'm sorry, Dimitri. I should have refused to meet her when she called."

I gave her a reassuring smile. "It's not your fault; no one could have seen this coming," I said lightheartedly.

"But, still," she pressed.

"If we show them that we're not happy, they'll think they won. So smile, mother; I'm going to walk down that aisle properly like a man," I reassured, hugging her.

I could feel her laughing slightly. "You are indeed my one and only son," she mused, patting my back gently.

Once everyone was dressed and ready to go, we got into the taxi that was sent for us by none other than Lilia. I didn't doubt that she was doing it to get on my mother's good side.

"Hey, Dimka," Natalya said when we were in the car.

"Hm?" I responded meekly; I didn't feel like chatting.

She shocked me by giving me a small smile. "Don't worry about it. You'll be fine," she said, which made me feel much more worse than I already was.

When we arrived at the church, Marina was pacing outside in front of the doors until she saw us. "What took you so long?" she screeched and shook her head. "The three of you, head on inside. You, Dimitri, go to the front of the altar right this instant." In a flash, she was ushering us inside.

Standing in my designated place, the pianist started playing the tune, cueing for Lilia's entrance. The door opened to reveal her clad in a pink—yes, _pink_—wedding dress with pink flowers in her hand. Natalya looked like she wanted to puke, which made my lips twitch as I forced myself not to smile.

As she happily stood next to me, the priest began to say the traditional speech about how our souls were about to be intertwined—good grief. Tuning out whatever he was saying, I saw Natalya impatiently glancing at her watch every ten seconds from the corner of my eye and frowned. She would give anything to ditch the ceremony to go on her own rendezvous. Some sister I had.

Seeming to notice that I wasn't paying attention, Lilia sharply elbowed my side as the priest started introducing the most important question.

"Do you, Lilia Kiselow, take Dimitri Belikova to be your lawfully wedded husband? To love him in sickness and health and—" the priest began.

"I do, I do, I do!" she squealed, literally jumping in her spot next to me.

He looked a little annoyed from being interrupted. Hell, I would be, too. From behind us, there were murmurs of her actions about how it was inappropriate. Marina cleared her throat loudly, immediately silencing the crowd.

The priest rearranged his glasses. "And do you, Dimitri Belikova, take Lilia Kiselow to be your lawfully wedded wife? To love her in sickness and in health, till death do you part?" he asked politely, staring at me as if saying marrying this woman was going to be the worst decision I was about to make.

"He does!" Lilia interrupted with a giggle as she covered her face with her flowers.

"Miss Kiselow, please mind your manners and let Mr. Belikova answer the question," the priest reprimanded.

She rolled her eyes and put a hand on her hip. "In a matter of seconds, you'll be calling me Mrs. Belikova," she muttered snidely.

Throwing her a sharp look, the priest cleared his throat and turned to face me again. "Dimitri Belikova, do you take Lilia Kiselow to be your lawfully wedded wife? To love her in sickness and in health, till death do you part?" he repeated.

Taking in a deep breath, I started, "I—"

The door suddenly crashed open with someone loudly shouting, "Natalya! What kind of shitty direction did you give me! That was no damn shortcut at all!"

I spun around to see who had entered, and my eyes widened.

Rose was standing there, out of breath and with her luggage.

"For the love of God! Can we finish this ceremony?" the priest exclaimed exasperatedly, throwing his hands in the air.

"You bitch! I thought you left Russia already!" Lilia screeched, clenching her flowers tightly.

Rose smirked and showed her the plane ticket before ripping it in half. "I don't need to take shitty money from the devil. It would make me look bad," she retorted, throwing the now-torn ticket onto the floor.

My heart swelled with relief as she walked down the aisle to stand on the other side of me.

Rose threw Marina a sharp look as she was about to grab her arm. "Don't touch me with your filthy hands, you lowlife," she hissed.

Shooting her a dark look, Marina sat back down in her seat, gripping her purse tightly.

Exhaling loudly, the priest recited for the third time, "Dimitri Belikova, do you take Lilia Kiselow to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

Smiling, I answered loudly, "I do not."

And just like that, everyone in the room stood up and cheered loudly.

The priest raised his hands and looked to the ceiling. "Amen!" he groaned and walked away from the altar.

"You!" Lilia shouted, making a move to attack Rose. "You ruined everything!"

Right before she could even have a chance to throw her flowers at her, Rose punched her square in the face, making her stumble backwards and fall down the steps.

"I beg to differ," she replied with a triumphant grin, then turned to face me and teased, "Miss me at all, Comrade? Life must've been boring for you today."

Without answering her, I hugged her tightly and buried my face in her shoulder. "You have no idea," I mumbled softly in Russian.

And that's when I knew. Rose was the one for me.

* * *

**Loved it? Liked it? Hated it? R&R!**

**Oh my, Rose comes to save the day! :D  
Now that she's back, what comes next in their lives? Will romance bloom?**

**-Delicate**


	9. Mutual Feeling

**Sorry! I've been out of the country for a bit. Thanks for reviewing while I was gone!**

* * *

_Mutual Feeling_

* * *

Life went back to being normal ever since Rose had moved back in with us. My mother was especially delighted when she was present at the dining table with the rest of us. She must've been too overjoyed that all the dishes she had prepared didn't fit on the table.

"Oh, oh just look at me! I must not have been thinking straight in the kitchen!" she laughed wholeheartedly as she stared at the overfilled table. Reaching over to squeeze Rose's hand, she smiled brightly. "You've had me worried all day when we found you missing," she chided and then turned to her eldest daughter. "Natalya, how'd you manage to come with such a clever idea?"

She choked on her food. "What idea?" she mumbled, drinking her water. "I just didn't want that bimbo being my sister-in-law."

Rose just grinned as if she knew everything. And I had no doubt about it.

Once Rose was finished eating, I put my fork down and stood up with a smile. "Mom, we'll be back later," I said, nodding once at Rose.

"We as in…you and me?" she asked blankly as if she couldn't understand the simple meaning.

Suppressing a grin, I took her by the hand and started to lead her out the door when I heard Natalya say in Russian, "I'll bet on tomorrow's breakfast that they don't come home tonight."

"Natalya!" my mother scolded while Alina stared at them with an innocence a seven year-old should have.

Chuckling, I shut the door behind me just as Rose was waiting there with the bike. "Were they talking about me?" she asked humorously, placing a hand on her perfect curves.

I swallowed hard before getting on and holding it steady for her to sit behind me. "Something like that," I mumbled, a smile unconsciously making its way to my face as I felt her slender, strong arms wrap around my waist instead of just gripping onto the back of my shirt like she used to do.

As we sped downhill to the city, she just laughed from pure excitement and the feeling of the wind blowing her hair no doubt. "How come you've been holding back before?" she shouted.

"I thought you wouldn't be able to handle it," I shouted back.

I could feel her roll her eyes. "Weaksauce!" she laughed.

We got off the bike shortly after passing through the city to get up a steep hill that would've made riding up it impossible. I smiled, listening to Rose's muttering of swear words under her breath at how difficult it is to hike on such a steep hill. And I had to admit, I missed everything about Rose within those twenty-four hours including her infamous ability to swear out words of profanity; it partially defined who she was.

When I reached the top first, I smiled and exhaled before turning to help Rose up to find that she was next to me hunched over while gasping for air.

"Damn you, Dimitri," she heaved with a glare in my direction, "What the hell did I do to deserve this punishment?"

Laughing, I sat down and leaned back. "Just look," I answered, staring at the beautiful lights in the city.

Lifting her head, I saw her face brighten up instantly as she looked down in wonder and amazement. She sat down absentmindedly as a smile appeared on her face. "It's so beautiful," she whispered ecstatically.

"I know," I agreed. "This place used to be my little secret ever since I was a kid. It gave me a sense of peace."

She suddenly looked like she was trying to keep the smile on. "Well, I'll bet you brought a lot of your girlfriends here to share your secret," she said half-teasingly, keeping her eyes focused on the view below her.

"No. Only you," I whispered truthfully.

She whipped her head around to stare at me with stunning brown, wide eyes. Swallowing, she asked, "No one else? Even your recent ex?"

Leaning over her, I whispered right above her rose lips, "Only you." Closing the distance between us, I wrapped my arms around her tightly as she wrapped hers around my neck as she responded to the kiss.

And then it started raining of all times. Groaning, I pulled away from Rose to glare at the sky. It felt like fate had a nasty sense of humor.

"Hey," Rose said, drawing my attention back to her beautiful, smiling face. She suddenly pulled my collar down and kissed me deeply. It was a kiss where no words had to be spoken to comprehend the message she was conveying.

Before the last of my self-control disappeared, I forced myself to pull back with a chuckle as I saw her pouting face. "We have to get out of this rain first," I pointed out, shoving my jacket off and holding it over both of our heads before we headed down the hill.

Smiling, she wrapped her arm around my waist and leaned her head against my chest.

By the time we reached town by bike, it was pouring so hard that it was hard for me to see the road in front of me. Stopping at a local inn where the owner is a friend of my mother's, we locked the bike and headed inside.

The owner, a widowed woman named Mrs. Volkov, turned around and gasped when she saw us soaked from the rain. "Oh, Dimitri, dear! You and your friend are soaked to the bone!" she exclaimed as if she had never seen a drenched person before. She grabbed a key from under her desk and handed it to me. "Don't worry about rooming fees, darlings. It's on me," she said and shooed us up the stairs.

When we got to our room, Rose started taking off her drenched jacket. "Hey, you can use the shower first, Comrade. I'll call Olena and tell her where we're at," she said and went over to pick up the phone from its receiver, leaving me no room to argue.

"Tell her that we're going to go to the bakery straight from here," I said to her before going in the bathroom.

Half an hour later, I made a little bed for me on the floor out of a blanket and a pillow just as Rose emerged in a white robe, her hair slightly wet.

"God I'm ready to pass out any second," she groaned as she fell onto the bed face-first.

Chuckling I replied back, "Be my guest."

She turned her head sideways to get a good look at me. "Hey, why're you going to sleep down there?" she asked with an incredulous look.

I frowned. "I just don't think it's proper for me to sleep in the same bed as a—"

"Oh would you stop the gentleman-act and get up here? I'm still cold," she said, getting under the covers. "And if I catch a cold tomorrow, I'm blaming you."

I couldn't suppress my smile as I climbed in next to her and wrapped my arms around her waist. "Just sleep for tonight. I won't do anything to you," I whispered in her ear as she scooted closer to me.

"I know," she mumbled sleepily before her eyes drooped closed. "And stop sleeping on the floor from now on."

I laughed quietly and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Goodnight, Roza," I whispered.

The next morning, I crept in as silently as I could without waking Rose and closed the door behind me. My attempt to prevent her from waking up failed the moment I passed the bed.

"Is that coffee I smell?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes as she sat up in bed.

"Yeah, I heard—," I broke off as I turned to face her; the neckline of her robe was dangerously low. Swallowing, I turned back around. "I heard it's the best coffee in Baia," I finished, unconsciously clearing my throat.

She laughed and got up. "Did you see something you like, Dimitri?" she asked teasingly as she sat down and took a sip of the coffee. "Whoa, you weren't kidding! This stuff tastes awesome!" she said, completely amazed and proceeded to down the whole cup.

I laughed and shook my head. "When you're done, put on your clothes and come outside. They should be dry now," I told her and left the room with my own coffee before I let my imagination get the best of me.

When we got to the bakery, she put on the apron and happily went to the kitchen. "What's today's lesson?" she asked, leaning her elbows against the metal counter with a grin on her face.

Once I got my apron on, I turned to her. "We'll be making pishki," I answered.

She blinked twice. "I'm sorry. Piss-what?"

"Rose!"

Laughing, she put her hands up. "Kidding, kidding! What do I do?"

Grimacing, I said, "For now, get yeast, butter, eggs, warm water, sugar, salt, and flour."

While she went to get the selected ingredients, I went ahead and took out some vanilla extract, grated lemon peels, and confectioners' sugar. After she had gathered everything on the counter, I gave her a bowl and a whisk.

"I want you to mix the butter and sugar until it becomes a fluffy cream. In the meantime, I'll put the yeast in the water," I instructed and grabbed the yeast and eggs from across the counter just as she started whisking away like a professional.

When the eggs were separated and the yeast started to dissolve, Rose asked, "What's next?"

"Start mixing it in with the egg whites first, and then the yolk," I answered and started to measure the right amount of the extract, peels, salt, flour, and confectioner's sugar. Once I put them in front of her, she put the mixing bowl down and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. "Add in the vanilla extract, lemon peels, yeast, and salt," I said, pointing out each ingredient. "Beat it until it's well-mixed, and then gradually add in flour until the mixture becomes stiff dough."

I took out a handful of flour from its sack and scattered it around the counter, grabbing more and repeating the action until the entire counter was covered.

"I didn't know you liked making a mess," Rose snickered, still mixing the ingredients.

Grinning, I threw a handful of flour at her face. "Oops, my hand must have slipped. Sorry about that, Rose."

She stopped mixing and put the bowl down. "Comrade," she began as she smiled sweetly. Before I could blink, she'd managed to scoop up flour and tossed it at my own face. "I'm feeling a little clumsy today, don't you think?"

I jumped over the counter and pulled her back against me despite her laughing and attempts to pry away. "Well, it seems we're having an off day," I chuckled and kissed her temple.

She turned her head to meet lip to lip with a smile. "Hmm, I wonder why," she teased, leaning back against me.

* * *

After I had locked the bakery for the day, I pedaled us back home while Rose rested her head comfortingly against my back with her arms wrapped around me snugly. It was silent between us during the ride home, but it was a comforting silence. No words could break this moment of silent connection between us.

"Dimka! Rose!" Olena cheered as we came through the front door and started laughing. "I see you've enjoyed yourselves at the bakery today," she noted as she stared at our flour-covered hair.

Natalya peeked out of her room and snickered. "I bet last night must have been mind-blowing," she said before retreating back and shutting the door.

"Natalya!" Olena scolded again and sighed before smiling at us. "Why don't you two wash up? Dinner will be ready in an hour or so."

"Do you need any help?" Rose offered politely with a kind smile. "I think with all of Dimitri's teachings, I could be of some use to this house."

My mother laughed lightheartedly. "I wouldn't doubt it, Rose. Go wash up first and come back downstairs to help me," she answered before heading back into the kitchen.

At dinner, my mother wouldn't stop grinning as she looked back and forth from me to Rose. "Please tell us some news, Dimka," she said, clapping her hands twice to gather our attention.

Rose turned slightly red, but I was having none of that. I held her hand in mine and lifted it above the table for everyone to see. "I think this is all the news you'll need," I laughed as my mother started gushing.

"Not bad," Natalya said with a smug look as if she'd known all along.

Alina, on the other hand, giggled like the little school girl she was. "Congratulations!" she cheered, making us all laugh.

* * *

Before I headed upstairs to bed, I went to say goodnight to my mother. Knocking on the door, I poked my head inside and smiled. "Goodnight, mother," I said.

She smiled back. "Dimka," she said, "I'm happy you have Rose now."

"So am I," I replied and gave her another grin before heading back to my room where Rose was yawning under the covers.

Patting the empty spot beside her, she mumbled, "Are you going to sleep standing up?"

I shook my head and chuckled before getting in next to her. "Goodnight, Rose," I whispered.

She smiled and closed her eyes. "Goodnight."

The next morning, Rose and I both woke up at the same time, not from the alarm clock but from a horrible shriek. I sat up immediately, awake and alert, only to be still at the sight in front of us.

Tasha was at the foot of our bed and glaring at us murderously.

* * *

**Liked it? Loved it? Hated it? R&R!**

**Sorry, it's been awhile. But I'm planning on ending this sooner than I had expected; it's not going where I wanted it to go. ): **

**Bad news: I'll be getting rid of **_**Perfect Harmony**_** because I don't know how to continue from there.**

**Good news: I've planned out an entirely different fanfic. It'll be up soon, so keep an eye out!**

**-Delicate**


	10. Sweet Victory

**No words can sum up my apologies for my ridiculously long hiatus.**

* * *

_Sweet Victory_

* * *

If looks could kill, we would've been dead within a heartbeat. The rage coming from Tasha's eyes were enough to scorch several microscopic molecules.

"Excuse me, isn't this called trespassing?" Rose asked, her tone heavy with sarcasm.

I squeezed her hand to prevent her from infuriating the other woman. "What business do you have here at four-thirty in the morning, Tasha?" I asked with a straight voice. She was not going to get the pleasure of having me flustered by her sudden appearance and her brand-name clothes.

She straightened her shoulders and looked straight at me. "I'm here to give you another chance," she said simply. "So, if you'd just send away the foreign trash."

With her lack of sleep, anything set Rose on the edge. She yanked her hand out of mine and got out of bed in a sort of fighting stance. "Another _chance_? And did you just call me _foreign trash_?" she repeated, rotating her shoulders. "News flash, Miss Rich-Bitch: the world doesn't revolve around you."

Oh, did Tasha ever look furious. She rounded on me. "Dimka, you'd let her speak to me that way?"

I shrugged one shoulder. "She didn't say anything wrong."

Tears filled her eyes. "Dimka, you've changed," she whimpered.

Groaning, Rose stepped in between us, her eyes coolly meeting Tasha's. "Get over yourself. It was you who ended the relationship. What the hell gives you the right to break into his house and tell him to get back together with you? God, you're pathetic."

I stood up and stood next to Rose. "Leave now, Tasha, before my mother wakes up and sees you here," I warned her.

Rose raised a brow. "Ah, too late."

Tasha froze for a second, then turned to see Olena standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips. Then her lips twitched up into a pleasant smile. "Mrs. Belikova! It's been a while, and I don't think I have the situation right here. You see, I believe Dimka and that foreign girl are an item. Am I mistaken?" She looked so hopeful.

But the older woman's face didn't change. "No, you believe right, Natasha Ozera. But you were mistaken to step foot in my house without permission and interrupting their sleep," she said sternly, no trace of her usual warmth anywhere. "Now I suggest you leave and never have anything to do with my son or Rose, otherwise I will be glad to call the police on you and have you arrested for trespassing."

Tasha looked appalled that she just stood and stared at my mother with her mouth opened. "Y-you're kicking me out?" She chuckled. "This is a joke, right? This has to be a joke. Dimka still loves me, don't you Dimka?"

I stared down at her deceiving blue eyes. "No," I said flatly and wrapped an arm around Rose's waist to draw her closer to me.

My mother was starting to become impatient. "I'm counting from five, Natasha," she warned.

"No need," Tasha said, her voice wavering. "I see how it is. You know what, Dimitri Belikova? We are _through_!" With that, she stomped loudly down the stairs and out of the house.

I nodded once absently. "That we are," I mumbled to no one in particular.

* * *

Two weeks had passed since the Tasha incident. Every day was normal for my family. Rose and I went down to the bakery, my mother stayed home to cook or went out to get groceries, and my sisters went to school.

So you could understand my surprise when we had arrived at the bakery one morning to see a woman in a black suit and hat waiting in front of the door. Rose went rigid behind me when she got a glimpse of the stranger's face.

"What the hell are you doing here?" my lover demanded, her hands clenched into fists.

The stranger lifted a brow. "To take you home, of course," she answered simply. "Don't be difficult, Rosemarie."

Rose stood firm. "This is my home."

I took the opportunity to step in between both women. "Excuse me, but may I ask who you are and what business you have with Rose?" I asked politely, but firmly. Anything that set Rose on edge set me on edge.

She looked at me squarely. "I'm her mother and my business with her is to take her back home in the States," she said coldly. She turned to her daughter. "Did you get eloped?" she demanded in outrage.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Now I wish I did."

"Look," I interrupted, feeling the heat increasing between the two. "Let's go inside and talk this out." Moving past Rose's mother, I unlocked the door to the bakery and held it opened for the two women to walk through. It was quiet, until I closed the door.

"I'm not going back with you," Rose said firmly.

Her mother's eye narrowed. "The hell you aren't. We are leaving, and that's final," she said coolly.

"I'm happy here!" Rose shouted, making both of us jump slightly. "For once in my life, I'm happy. And you're telling me to throw it away. Does that make any fucking sense?"

"For God's sakes, Rose, you're working in a bakery!"

Oh, now I felt insulted.

"And I love it here! I love what I'm doing! But most importantly, I love Dimitri!"

I couldn't help the smile that spread on my face. God, I was a fool in love.

But her mother was dumbfounded. "What?"

The fire in Rose's eyes continued to flare. "I love him. He's the only man I've met who treated me with some decency and respect and didn't expect to get into my pants," she said, her voice on edge. "All those guys you set me up with for the sake of inheritance and the future of your fucking company? They ended it with me because I wouldn't fall into their beds! And Adrian Ivashkov was no different, I swear to you."

Before her mother could retaliate, I held up a hand. "Let's have a negotiation," I said, placing a hand on Rose's shoulder and squeezing it to prevent her from arguing.

Her mother folded her arms and looked at me. "Out with it," she demanded, still a bit shaken from her daughter's confession.

Instead of answering her directly, I looked down at Rose. "Rose, what do you want to do with your life?"

She looked at me like I had asked a question with an obvious answer. "I want to stay and work with you…here," she finished, motioning around the bakery with her arms.

I nodded and turned back to her mother. "Rose will return with you, ma'am," I stated, feeling Rose go tense under my hand.

"Dimi—"

"If you let her study what she wants to study. And after she graduates, if she wants to come back to Russia, you'll let her come without restrictions," I finished.

The mother was still for a few minutes, I thought I might have sent her into a state of shock. Then she turned her head slowly to look at Rose who, in turn, looked absolute devastated. "If I let you do what he asks of me, will you come back?" she asked slowly.

Rose shook slightly. "Give me a minute," she said and went into the baking area.

I followed after her and went through the door. "Rose."

She turned to glare at me. "How could you? How could you turn on me so fast?"

"Let me explain."

She scoffed and leaned against the metal table. "Please do."

I exhaled loudly. "I love you, Rose. I love you so much, I don't want you to leave," I said quietly.

"Then why?" she whispered, and the hurt was evident in her voice.

Going over to her, I took her hand in mine. "I want you to finish your education. No, listen," I said, pulling her back as she tried to turn away. "I don't want you stay here now and later have regrets. I'd rather you finish everything you have to finish in the States and come back. And right now, that everything is college."

I saw the tears filling her eyes, saw her trying to hold them back.

"But if I go, I can't see you for a long time," she said, trying to keep her voice absolutely still.

On that, I could empathize with her. "Rose, I can get one of those webcams and see you through the computer."

She shook her head furiously. "It's not the same."

I lifted my hand to cup the side of her face. "What kind of school do you want to go to?"

"Culinary school." She said it with certainty.

My lips twitched up. "You can graduate from a culinary school within two years. I'm willing to wait those two years, and I want you to be, too."

"But—"

I placed a finger on her lips. "And when you graduate, you can come back and work with me again."

She looked at me. "You know I'm not one for patience," she reminded me.

I had to laugh at that. "I know."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "If I come back, and my job is taken, I'm going to kick your ass all the way to Germany."

Smiling, I pressed my lips to her forehead. "I'll remember that for the next two years."

* * *

Why the hell had the past two years taken a long time to pass? Rose sighed as she finished fixing her hair in her dorm room before putting on her navy blue graduation gown and cap. She remembered leaving Russia, leaving Dimitri, leaving half of her heart with the Belikova family. During the past two years, she and Dimitri have had extremely long webcam sessions on a daily basis until it drove her roommate, Lissa, out to sleep in her boyfriend's dorm. But both of them knew seeing through a screen wasn't the same thing as being able to touch the other.

Lissa popped her blonde head in her room. "Everyone's lining up, Rose. You ready?"

Rose turned around and smiled. "When am I not?"

At the ceremony, the chancellor gave the typical long speech about the success of the students and their seemingly bright futures from their achievements at the school. It was so long that by the time he was finished, they had to turn on the stadium lights to see everyone in the graduating class. Because her graduating class consisted of a hundred students or so, it didn't take long for her to receive her degree in baking.

Once the ceremony was officially over, Rose met Janine a few feet away from the podium. "A deal's a deal, right? You're letting me go to Russia, and you're not going to interfere," she reminded her.

Janine nodded once slowly. "Yes, that's what I had promised. But you'll be seeing me in Russia soon enough," she said, making her daughter edgy.

"What are you talking about?" Rose asked through clenched teeth.

Instead of answering, Janine pointed towards the center of the field. And with precaution, Rose turned very slowly.

It was like time had stopped.

Dimitri was standing in the center of the field with a smile on his face.

Dumbfounded, it took Rose a shove from her mother to get her to start walking towards him. And when she reached him, he put a hand on either shoulder.

"Are you really here?" she asked, still in disbelief.

He chuckled softly and brushed his lips against her forehead. "Yes, I am," he answered.

"We're going to Russia together?"

When he didn't answer right away, panic slammed into her and nearly made her stagger back.

"We're going to Russia under one condition," he answered after a few seconds of silence. He took one hand from her shoulder and reached in his pocket to produce a thin silver band with a tiny diamond in the center.

Now, Rose had seen many soap operas because of her roommate and thought it was stupid for women to start crying when they got proposed to. But in that moment, she knew why they cried.

He moved his other hand to cup her neck, running his finger gently over her jawline with a tender smile. "Rosemarie Hathaway, will you stay in Russia with me…as my wife?"

She didn't bother hiding her tears as she nodded once. "God, what took you so long?"

He laughed and slipped the ring onto her left ring finger. "I was looking for the perfect moment."

When he pulled his hand away to admire the ring on her finger, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I want to go home," she whispered in his ear and sniffed softly.

Pulling back, he cupped her face in his hands and started to lean down. "Then let's go home together," he whispered back just before their lips met under the stars.

_End._

* * *

**Liked it? Loved it? Hated it? R&R!**

**God, I am sorry for rushing this! But as one reviewer pointed out, I didn't want to throw in another character and create more and more drama. And as I said before, I didn't like where this fanfic was going. So yes, I know the ending was shitty and rushed, and I will apologize profusely. But I will promise you that I'll put all my effort into my next fanfic! So stay tuned! Thanks for reading **_**Under The Stars**_**!**

**-Delicate**


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